Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney
Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence on Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Several cabin crew members were injured.
Emergency medical services said they assessed five individuals, and transferred a trio to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included pain in the back and migraines. The injured were between their 30s to 70s.
It is the newest example of aircraft being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a significant contributor.
On board were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
Paramedics indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.
In the previous year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a terrifying five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and crashed back down.
Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Research indicates that there are approximately thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.
Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft experiencing disturbed air generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As global warming alters weather patterns, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.
