Turbulence Incident: Convective Clouds, Not Clear-Air, Identified as Cause
Quick Look
- The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) report identified convectively induced turbulence, linked to thunderstorms, as the cause of a recent incident, contradicting initial attributions to clear-air turbulence.
- This type of turbulence can occur thousands of feet above clouds.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
In the immediate aftermath, multiple analysts attributed the incident to clear-air turbulence. The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) report concluded otherwise.
In the immediate aftermath, multiple analysts attributed the incident to clear-air turbulence – invisible pockets of air that can occur at high altitudes in clear skies, without warning and with no time for crew to alert passengers.
The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) report concluded otherwise. The turbulence was convectively induced, meaning it was associated with convective clouds and thunderstorms – generated by air movement into the storm, strong updrafts, downdrafts and outflow winds.
This type of turbulence can exist outside cloud and can be encountered several thousand feet above it, and up to 32km (20 miles) laterally. TSIB noted it is common year-round in the tropics when thunderstorms develop.
Investigations found groups of clouds near the point where severe turbulence struck. One cloud’s top grew rapidly from about 27,500 feet at 7.40am UTC to about 40,000 feet within 10 minutes.
Open Questions
- What was the specific date and location of the incident?
- What was the nature of the incident (e.g., aircraft type, passenger impact)?
- What specific aircraft or airline was involved?
- What are the implications of this finding for future aviation safety protocols?
