Multiple Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney
Several people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines aircraft from LA to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.
Local paramedics reported they assessed a total of five people, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that comprised back pain and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s to 70s.
This marks the newest example of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with researchers saying that global warming is a major factor.
On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson said, clarifying that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
In the previous year, 25 people were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a terrifying brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and fell back down.
Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million journeys that are conducted worldwide.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing disturbed air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As climate change shifts 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 frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
