'Severe turbulence' causes flight crew to smash heads and 11 to be hospitaliased

30 August 2023 , 20:50

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Bad turbulence on a flight is an increasing phenomenon, some scientists say (Image: Youtube/fox5atlanta)

Multiple passengers had to be hospitalised after their international flight hit such bad turbulence that even the crew was jolted around in their seats.

Delta said the plane had 151 passengers and 14 crew aboard when the flight, going from Milan, Italy, to Atlanta, Georgia, hit some turbulence in the sky that was so severe that passengers and crew were injured.

Paramedics responded after the pilot emergency landed in Atlanta about 40 minutes ahead of schedule. Authorities said 11 people were taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. The rest of the passengers had to wait aboard the plane for an additional two hours while the patients were put on stretchers and taken to the nearest hospital.

A Delta plane encountered unexpected turbulence that caused 11 people to require hospitalization (Youtube/fox5atlanta)

A couple who had been onboard the flight told Fox5: "Looked to be about 12 people with serious head injuries. Several flight attendants, too. Bunch of blood and awfulness. My fiancée and I are so freaked out, we are renting a car and driving to our final destination instead."

Delta responded to the incident with a statement: "Delta Care Team members are mobilizing to connect with customers on Delta Flight 175 that experienced severe turbulence before landing safely in Atlanta Tuesday."

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"Our priority is taking care of our customers and crew who sustained injuries. We are grateful for the first responders who met the aircraft to provide medical attention and who are transporting the injured to hospital."

The airline said that the remaining passengers were treated to food and given alternate lodging and travel accommodations. The flight was located about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport when the turbulence occurred, according to the Federal Aviation Agency.

Videos from the event show that even crew members were bashing their heads, some requiring medical treatment after (Youtube/fox5atlanta)

This is the latest in a series of incidents where weather patterns have caused severe turbulence, posing a threat to customers. Plane travel will become much more intense as incidents of severe turbulence capable of breaking bones become more common, a scientist's research suggests. Each year, millions of passengers endure a stomach-sinking patch of turbulence, which is caused by chaotic eddies of air powered by pressure and flow changes.

The phenomenon causes more than $500 million of damage and delays in the US alone each year, according to the National Centre for Atmospheric Research. Research by scientists at the University of Reading in Berkshire, among others, have found that the transatlantic jet stream is 15 per cent stronger than it was in 1970, due to rising temperatures caused by climate change.

Yelena Mandenberg