Several Hurt as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia
Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence this past Friday.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.
Local paramedics said they treated five patients, and transported three to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included back pain and head pain. Those affected were between their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the newest example of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with experts pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official noted, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is growing increasingly prevalent - and more severe.
Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" turbulence just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. An individual lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is fairly routine while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million journeys that are conducted worldwide.
Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air apply greater than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.
As climate change alters weather patterns, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.