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F-HBNJ an Air France A320 encountered a rapidly developing convective weather cell during descent towards Ajaccio. At FL262, the aircraft entered severe turbulence lasting approximately 31 seconds, including hail. The autopilot remained engaged and the aircraft remained controllable, but the turbulence violently threw unrestrained cabin occupants into the air. Three cabin crew members and two passengers suffered serious injuries, including multiple spinal fractures. The aircraft landed safely in Ajaccio. Cabin damage and hail damage to the radome were found.
The BEA concluded that the crew detected the convective cell too late to analyse it properly and develop an avoidance strategy. The aircraft entered an isolated thunderstorm cell embedded in cloud, which had intensified rapidly before the encounter.
Contributory factors identified by the investigation included:
High crew workload during descent, including approach briefing, ATC frequency changes, weather reviews and operational discussions.
Possible reduction in weather vigilance during the Mediterranean crossing because forecasts suggested relatively benign conditions.
Use of an older manually adjusted weather radar requiring continual tilt management.
Lack of information from air traffic control regarding the rapidly developing convective cell, despite weather data being potentially available on controller support systems.
The cabin crew commenced landing checks after the seatbelt sign was illuminated, leaving them exposed when the turbulence struck unexpectedly.
The BEA could not determine exactly why the weather radar failed to provide earlier warning because radar display and control settings were not recorded. The radar itself was found to be serviceable.