Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane into Sydney, Australia
Multiple passengers and crew were hurt after a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.
Emergency medical services reported they evaluated five individuals, and transferred a trio to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and migraines. Those affected spanned from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the newest example of planes experiencing turbulence, with researchers saying that global warming is a significant contributor.
The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the representative noted, adding that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just three minutes before the plane arrived, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that currently occur globally.
Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft experiencing rough air masses generate greater than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.
As climate change shifts the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the jet stream level are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
