Airbus A321 231 accident near Bermuda, Bm, July 28, 2016
On July 28, 2016 at about 5:11 am local time, a 2013 Airbus A321 231, registered N913JB, was involved in an accident during enroute near Bermuda. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an inadvertent encounter with clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2016 · about 5:11 am local time
- Place
- Bermuda, Bm · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A321 231 231, built 2013 · all A321 231s on the register
- Registration
- N913JB · registry record · serial 5909
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 28, 2016, at 0111 eastern daylight time, JetBlue Airways as flight 1561, an Airbus A321, N913JB, experienced turbulence during cruise that resulted in one flight attendant sustaining a serious injury. There were no injuries to the other passengers and crew aboard and the airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Queens, New York to Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), Christchurch, Barbados. The flight diverted to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), San Juan, Puerto Rico . According to the operator, aircraft encountered turbulence during cruise while the flight attendant (FA) at position #4 was carrying a pot of hot water from the aft galley towards one of the aft lavatories. The FA stated that she held on to the galley counter with her right hand and swung the coffee pot in her left towards the jumpseat away from another flight attendant. She stated that the aircraft experienced another sudden drop and the water in the pot flew up in the air and landed on her left shoulder and left side resulting in second-degree burns. The flight crew indicated that at the time of the event the weather conditions were mostly clear, but had encountered short segments of instrument weather conditions as forecasted with no associated turbulence or precipitation. They indicated that they had been actively using the onboard weather radar, but there were no returns that led to deviations. The first officer stated that the turbulence was sudden, with no other associated rain or precipitation and then immediately calm again, so no actions were taken. The operator indicated that the flight data from the Quick Access Recorder (QAR) showed smooth conditions prior to the turbulence encounter.
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
- Turbulence encounter during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Clear air turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,450 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 3,100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Last flight review: June 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 205,030 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Iae V2533-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Iae V2533-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFK New York NY at 3:57 am
- Destination: BGI Seawell, Christ Church
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 4 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA16CA205.