Multiple Affected as Turbulence Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney
Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by rough air this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated a total of five people, and took three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.
It is the most recent case of aircraft experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
On board were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.
Emergency responders said they were alerted just three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and more severe.
Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" turbulence just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing five seconds of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and fell back down.
In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that now take off globally.
Intense turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a aircraft going through unstable air apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As global warming modifies atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.