Several Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney, Australia
Multiple passengers and crew have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.
Emergency medical services stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transported a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the most recent case of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
On board were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson said, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
Paramedics indicated they were alerted just three minutes before the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.
During the past year, 25 people were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and had to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a harrowing brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and fell back down.
In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that now take off globally.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.
