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AAIB Finds BA Flight Turbulence Over Atlantic Broke Two Ankles

Investigators say the captain’s early seatbelt order, guided by live weather data, likely prevented further injuries.

Overview

  • An AAIB report details a 6 December 2024 Los AngelesHeathrow flight that hit 10–15 seconds of turbulence south of Greenland, described by the captain as light to moderate.
  • A passenger broke an ankle while returning from the toilet after having slept through the seatbelt announcement and not noticing the sign was on.
  • A cabin crew member fractured an ankle as she was lowering her jump seat to strap in when the turbulence lifted her and she fell.
  • A third passenger later lost consciousness, two doctors onboard assisted, and crew consulted MedLink before the captain declared a medical PAN for priority routing.
  • The captain had switched on seatbelt signs about 20 minutes earlier after a tablet weather app showed developing turbulence; diversion options to Gander and Keflavik were rejected due to conditions, and ambulances met the A380 at Heathrow where three people were taken to hospital.