Overview
- Investigators concluded a controller at Boston ARTCC failed to acknowledge or relay a nearby aircraft’s moderate-turbulence PIREP roughly three minutes before United Flight 1890 hit violent turbulence.
- The controller told the NTSB they did not hear the report because they were completing other coordination, contrary to FAA rules that require soliciting and disseminating PIREPs, especially for moderate or greater turbulence.
- United Flight 1890, a Boeing 777 descending to Newark on Feb. 10, 2024, dropped and then sharply pitched up with the seatbelt sign on as flight attendants conducted final checks.
- The NTSB detailed major injuries to three flight attendants, including a spinal fracture, a shattered femur with additional spinal compression, and head trauma; unbelted passengers, including an infant on a lap and a person in a lavatory, also struck the ceiling.
- The report found onboard radar and electronic weather tools did not flag significant turbulence along the descent path, noted a rapid wind speed change of about 75 mph within 4,000 feet, and cited sector data showing 17 PIREPs with fewer than half correctly processed.