Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Plane into Sydney, Australia
Multiple passengers and crew have been injured following a Delta Airlines jet traveling from LA to Sydney experienced turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official informed. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five individuals, and took three to hospital with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. The injured were between their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the most recent case of planes encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers saying that climate change is a significant contributor.
There were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is getting more common - and often stronger.
Last year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight went through a frightening short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler died and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and fell back down.
Bumpy air is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing rough air masses apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As global warming alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.
