Several Affected as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney
Multiple passengers and crew were hurt after a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants were injured.
Emergency medical services said they evaluated five patients, and took a trio to hospital with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative noted, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
Emergency responders indicated they got a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.
Last year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "significant" rough air just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening short but intense of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
In-flight turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.
Severe turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft experiencing unstable air generate greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.
As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to increase the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.
