ERJ 170 Turbulence and Cabin Crew Injury

On July 16, 2026, SkyWest Airlines flight 3723, operating as Delta Connection from North Eleuthera, Bahamas, to Atlanta, encountered severe turbulence at FL370 near Sanford, Florida, at about 15:02 local time.

Of the 71 people aboard the ERJ 170-200, one flight attendant was seriously injured. The aircraft was not damaged.

After departure, the crew climbed in stages, asking for higher altitudes to avoid light turbulence near cloud tops. They settled at FL370 and flew in smooth air for about 50 minutes. When they saw cumulonimbus clouds ahead, they asked to deviate right. ATC denied the request but approved a left deviation. The crew warned the flight attendants about possible turbulence, and the seat belt sign stayed on. The flight was then cleared direct to the SHRKS waypoint.

About six minutes later, the jet hit severe turbulence lasting roughly five seconds. The crew saw no visual warning and no weather radar returns. Airspeed dropped and the stick shaker activated, so the captain began upset recovery.

The airplane lost 300 to 400 feet before returning to FL370. The forward flight attendant braced and reached her jumpseat. The aft flight attendant was found on the rear galley floor after striking her head. Medically qualified passengers helped her, and the crew diverted to Jacksonville, where she was taken to hospital.

A Convective SIGMET and a Center Weather Advisory were in effect for thunderstorms with tops between FL420 and FL450.

The NTSB found the probable cause was convectively induced turbulence during cruise in an area of forecast thunderstorm activity.

_{Photo source: Liam Thompson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons}

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