Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney
Multiple passengers and crew were hurt after a Delta aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed a total of five people, and transported a trio to hospital with minor injuries that comprised back pain and head pain. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the latest incident of planes encountering severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official added, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
Paramedics reported they got a call just three minutes before the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and more severe.
In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.
Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is fairly routine while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted around the world.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane going through unstable air apply more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.
As global warming alters weather patterns, specialists caution that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are likely to increase the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
