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Accidents · NTSB CEN11LA250 · Final report

Embraer EMB-145LR accident near Kansas City, Missouri, March 26, 2011

On March 26, 2011 at about 12:29 pm local time, a Embraer EMB-145LR, registered N931AE, was involved in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City Iap airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 51 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

An in-flight encounter with convectively induced turbulence associated with developing thunderstorms under the flight path during the airplane's climb to cruise flight.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
March 26, 2011 · about 12:29 pm local time · cases in 2011
Place
Kansas City, Missouri · Kansas City Iap · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured; 51 others were unhurt.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Embraer EMB-145LR · all EMB-145LRs on the register
Registration
N931AE · registry record · serial 14500912
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

During climb to cruise flight, the flight attendant was returning to her jumpseat when the airplane encountered convectively induced turbulence associated with developing thunderstorms under the flight path. The flight attendant lost her footing and hit her head on the service galley door. While trying to find something to grab, the flight attendant fell again and injured her wrist and knee. She advised the flight crew that she would be unable to complete her duties and the flight was diverted to seek medical attention for the flight attendant. The operator subsequently confirmed that the flight attendant was seriously injured when her wrist and hand sustained fractures. The flight’s flight data recorder data showed that an upset event occurred during climb; the vertical acceleration ranged from 1.54g to 0.60g in a 1-second period.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Turbulence encounter during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › (general) › Effect on personnel

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 6,788 hours in all; 394 as pilot in command
  • Last flight review: January 12, 2011
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

Co-pilot

  • Certificate: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 2,936 hours in all
  • Last flight review: August 12, 2010
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
  • Seats: 53
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Rolls-Royc AE3007 SER (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Engine 2: Rolls-Royc AE3007 SER (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Operator: American Eagle Airlines INC

The flight

  • Departed from: OKC Oklahoma City OK at 12:05 pm
  • Destination: ORD Chicago IL
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 070° at 14 knots
  • Visibility: 9 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
  • Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
  • Observation at 12:01 pm from MCI, 98 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Cabi1
Flight crew2
Passengers49

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

7 documents, released by the NTSB on March 8, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 PDF, 9 pages View Download
2 Flight Data Recorder 10 - Factual Report of Group Chairman PDF, 8 pages View Download
3 Flight Data Recorder 10 - Attachment 1 - Tabular Data - (Csv Format) data file Download
4 Miscellaneous - Operator Confirmation of Fa Serious Injury PDF, 1 page View Download
5 Miscellaneous - Flight Dispatch Excerpt PDF, 1 page View Download
6 Miscellaneous - Memo of Communication PDF, 1 page View Download
7 Miscellaneous - Sigmet Excerpt PDF, 1 page View Download

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11LA250.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.