A Number of Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney
Several people sustained injuries after a Delta jet from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they assessed a total of five people, and took three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as back pain and migraines. Those affected spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.
This marks the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with experts saying that global warming is a significant contributor.
There were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the representative noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.
Emergency responders said they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane landed, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.
Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.
Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight went through a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a sum of more than 35 million journeys that currently occur around the world.
Intense turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft going through rough air masses generate greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.
As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to boost the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.
