Incident at Winnipeg, Manitoba

1996-02-23: Northwest Airlines 785, a Douglas DC-9-50, was landing on runway 13 at Winnipeg on a scheduled flight from Minneapolis. The Tower Controller advised the crew that the first 3,000 feet of the runway was clear but the remainder was snow covered and icy. The aircraft reportedly touched down firmly. Two of the three flight attendants were standing in the aisles at touchdown, and one of them fell and suffered a broken leg. There is some difference of opinion as to the time between the Flight Crew's "landing" signal to the cabin crew and the aircraft touchdown. The Flight Attendants were reportedly in the habit of judging time to touchdown by visual reference to the ground. The approach to runway 13 has few visual cues as to height above ground that would be visible at night in reduced visibility. The operator intends to discuss the occurrence during annual crew training.