An air traffic controller failed to pass on a turbulence warning to a United Airlines flight approaching Newark Liberty International Airport, contributing to severe injuries to three flight attendants, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report has found.
The incident occurred on February 10, 2024, when United Airlines Flight 1890, a Boeing 777 descending from Los Angeles, encountered sudden and violent turbulence. Three flight attendants suffered broken bones and a serious head injury; one was thrown into the ceiling and sustained a spinal fracture, while two others lost consciousness and suffered a shattered femur and head trauma.
The NTSB’s two-year investigation found that the flight crew had reviewed weather forecasts and monitored onboard tools, but without a real-time pilot report warning of turbulence, they could not anticipate the danger. About three minutes before the incident, another aircraft reported moderate turbulence to a controller, but this was not relayed to the United crew. The controller told investigators they did not hear the report and were “completing other coordination.”
Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules, controllers must actively solicit and share Pilot Weather Reports (PIREPs), especially when moderate or greater turbulence is reported. The NTSB said the controller, based in Boston, failed to do so. The report emphasises that its purpose is to improve safety, not assign blame or determine liability.
