A Number of Injured as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney, Australia
Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
Emergency medical services stated they treated five patients, and took three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that included pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the most recent case of planes experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that global warming is a significant contributor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official said, adding that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
Emergency responders indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.
Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet passing through unstable air exert more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As climate change shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are expected to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.
