Avianca flight 042 was on its way from Medellín in Colombia to New York JFK when it ran into severe turbulence and diverted to Miami. In this video Captain Steeeve listens to the radio calls between the crew of Airbus A320 N207FR and air traffic control in Miami. The crew first asks for about 20 minutes of holding. That surprises him with injured people on board, although he thinks the crew may have needed time to clean up the cabin.

If carts are in the aisle or a galley is open when severe turbulence hits, the cabin can be a mess. Captain Steeeve shows a photo from his own airline career, when his aircraft spent about eight seconds in severe turbulence. Everyone had been told to sit down and the galley had been secured, yet the aft galley was still wrecked. His advice to passengers is to keep the seat belt fastened even when the sign is off and to sit down straight away when the crew asks.

Injuries but no emergency declared

The crew reports that at least 15 to 20 people are affected. Miami Center coordinates with the tower so that medical staff are ready. What puzzles Captain Steeeve is that the crew does not declare an emergency. With a mayday call, he explains, airport rescue and firefighting crews follow the aircraft to the gate. The flight also gets priority and expedited taxiing. Without it, the controller has to ask follow-up questions, for example whether trucks are needed. The crew replies that no equipment is needed and asks to hold at 3,000 feet. The approach controller then asks for souls on board and fuel remaining, which in his view shows that ATC is treating the flight as an emergency. The crew reports 121 souls on board and states that they are not declaring an emergency. He also notes that the fuel figure he hears does not seem to fit a flight planned to JFK, though the crew may have misspoken.

The categories of turbulence

Using the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, Captain Steeeve then explains the categories. Light turbulence brings slight, erratic changes in altitude or attitude. Objects in the cabin may shift a little. Light chop is slight, rapid and somewhat rhythmic bumpiness, like driving on an old gravel road. In moderate turbulence the changes are bigger, unsecured objects come loose and walking becomes difficult. Moderate chop means rapid bumps and jolts without changes in altitude or attitude. Severe turbulence brings large, abrupt changes and the aircraft may be momentarily uncontrollable. Extreme turbulence is the fourth category. During his own encounter four passengers who refused to fasten their seat belts were injured, as were three flight attendants who sat down without buckling up.

Approach and landing in Miami

After a series of vectors the crew reports ready for the approach and lands on runway 9 with a slight crosswind. The aircraft rolls all the way to the end of the runway. Captain Steeeve concludes that ground control is probably helping the crew reach the gate without having to cross an active runway. The last call from the crew is a thank you. He closes with his main advice: pilots work hard to avoid severe turbulence but cannot always do so, so keep your seat belt fastened.