AVIATION/ F/A'S SUE OVER TURBULENCE INJURIES

2 ALASKA AIRLINES Flight Attendants, who were injured when a 2007 flight from Seattle to California encountered turbulence, have filed a legal claim against a Weather Service International (WSI) and against the FAA. On December 25, 2007, Alaska Flight 464 was on Domestic Service from Seattle to Ontario, California, when the airliner hit severe turbulence as it neared Ontario. At the time that the aircraft hit the turbulence, the 2 F/A's were doing final compliance checks, as required prior to landing. 1 of the F/A's suffered a head injury with loss of consciousness and concussion, while the other sustained multiple fractures to her ankle. No other crew members or passengers were injured. In their legal claim, the F/A's say that WSI was negligent in forecasting the weather. The women were not made aware of any "hazardous weather" forecast for the flight route, the claim said. They also named the FAA's Office of Air Traffic Organization, saying that they should have warned them about the severe weather. "These injuries were entirely preventable," said an attorney who is representing both women. "No one, neither the crew nor the passengers, should have experienced this horrific event." The claim says that The National Weather Service issued a SIGMET for occasional severe turbulence, but that information was allegedly not included in the report provided to the flight crew. WSI, the FAA, and Alaska would not respond to the media in regards to the case. Aviation expert John Nance said he has never heard of a case similar to this."For a suit like this to be successful they are going to have to show the defendants, the FAA in particular, had evidence of turbulence and had a duty to transmit it to the crew and didn't do that," said Nance, who is a lawyer and a former pilot for Alaska Airlines. "That's a steep mountain to climb."