Embraer EMB-145LR accident near Covington, Kentucky, February 15, 2008
On February 15, 2008 at about 2:57 pm local time, a Embraer EMB-145LR, registered N569RP, was involved in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Covington, Kentucky. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 52 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight attendant's inadvertent slip on the galley's contaminated floor and falling during climb to cruise.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 2008 · about 2:57 pm local time
- Place
- Covington, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 52 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB-145LR · all EMB-145LRs on the register
- Registration
- N569RP · no longer on the register · serial 14500816
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the Captain, "at about 11,000 feet, we received a call from our flight attendant, who stated that she was injured. She said that when she stood up from her flight attendant seat after 10,000 feet and was making her way back to the galley she slipped and fell. I inquired if she could still perform her duties, at which point she said that she could not. I proceeded to call dispatch and notified him of the incident and told him that we would return to the airport and he concurred. I requested medical assistance and after [I] did a passenger briefing about the incident and that we were returning to CVG." According to the Flight Attendant, she got out of her jumpseat after 10,000 feet to begin service. As she proceeded to the galley, she slipped and fell. The flight attendant said there was glycol on the floor, and she must have slipped on it. She had difficulty getting up. A passenger seated in 2A was able to assist her into seat 1A. Another passenger came forward and identified himself as a family physician and offered assistance. He had her apply ice to her ankle and got the interphone for her so she could notify the Captain. The flight attendant informed the Captain that she could not continue to work the flight. The captain made the decision to turn around and go back to CVG instead of continuing onto GSP. The captain made an announcement advising the passengers that she was injured and unable to continue and they would be returning to CVG. After landing, the Emergency Medical Service met the aircraft and carried her off the airplane. The passengers then deplaned back into the terminal. At the hospital, the flight attendant said the doctor informed her that her leg was broken in three places.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Task environment › Physical workspace › (general) › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Cabin crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,830 hours in all; 2,620 in this make and model; 237 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,657 hours in all; 637 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,943 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 48,501 lb
- Seats: 53
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Rolls-Royce AE3007A1P (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Rolls-Royce AE3007A1P (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CVG Covington KY at 2:17 pm
- Destination: GSP Greenville SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from CVG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 50 |
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.