An Azul Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200, registration PR-AIY performing flight AD-8706 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP (Brazil) to Orlando,FL (USA) with 197 passengers and 14 crew, was enroute at FL380 near Manaus,AM (Brazil) when the aircraft encountered turbulence knocking one of the passengers out of his/her seat, the passenger received injuries. The aircraft continued to Orlando for a landing without further incident about 5:15 hours later.
Brazil's CENIPA reported the passenger received a serious injury (fractured wrist), rated the occurrence an accident and opened an investigation.
On Aug 21st 2026 Brazil's CENIPA released their final report concluding the probable causes of the accident were:
Adverse meteorological conditions a contributor.
The occurrence was directly associated with adverse weather conditions characterized by rapidly developing convective instability at cruising altitude.
Despite the prior identification of convective formations on the weather radar and the execution of a lateral deviation in accordance with operational procedures, the aircraft abruptly encountered an area of severe turbulence, typical of tropical convection and possibly associated with embedded convection.
The short interval between the weather radar indication of moderate convective activity and the encounter with severe turbulence revealed inherent limitations in the airborne weather radars capability to provide tactical detection in intense convective environments, where abrupt variations in load factor may occur even in areas adjacent to lower-intensity radar echoes.
Brazil's CENIPA reported the passenger received a serious injury (fractured wrist), rated the occurrence an accident and opened an investigation.
On Aug 21st 2026 Brazil's CENIPA released their final report concluding the probable causes of the accident were:
Adverse meteorological conditions a contributor.
The occurrence was directly associated with adverse weather conditions characterized by rapidly developing convective instability at cruising altitude.
Despite the prior identification of convective formations on the weather radar and the execution of a lateral deviation in accordance with operational procedures, the aircraft abruptly encountered an area of severe turbulence, typical of tropical convection and possibly associated with embedded convection.
The short interval between the weather radar indication of moderate convective activity and the encounter with severe turbulence revealed inherent limitations in the airborne weather radars capability to provide tactical detection in intense convective environments, where abrupt variations in load factor may occur even in areas adjacent to lower-intensity radar echoes.
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