HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaiian Airlines flight crew’s decision to fly over a hazardous storm cell instead of deviating around it was the probable cause for hitting severe turbulence that injured passengers and crewmembers in 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a final report Thursday.
Three passengers and a crew member suffered serious injuries during the flight Dec. 18, 2022, from Phoenix to Honolulu. Twenty people were injured.
According to the report, a crewmember said it reminded him of a “volcanic explosion.” A passenger who had left her seat to go to the lavatory reported that she “flew” face-first into the lavatory ceiling and was “thrown abruptly to the floor.” Cabin damage included missing ceiling panels, a cracked overhead light and a flight attendant handset broken into several pieces, the report said.
In a previous preliminary report, the captain told investigators that flight conditions were smooth with clear skies when a cloud shot up vertically in front of the plane like a plume of smoke and there was no time to change course.