Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Plane Arriving in Sydney
A number of individuals were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
Local paramedics said they assessed a total of five people, and took three to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included pain in the back and head pain. Those affected spanned from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the most recent case of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with experts pointing out that climate change is a major factor.
There were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
During the past year, 25 people were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million journeys that are conducted worldwide.
Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft going through unstable air apply more than a significant G-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.
As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are expected to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.