Multiple Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia
Several people have been injured following a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they assessed a total of five people, and took three of them to the hospital with relatively minor issues that such as spinal discomfort and migraines. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.
The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a key driver.
On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official added, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service said they got a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
Why in-flight bumpiness is getting increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while cases of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Estimates show that there are around thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through rough air masses generate greater than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.
As a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that commercial aviation could become bumpier: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
