Several Injured as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Arriving in Sydney
Several people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by turbulence this past Friday.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.
Local paramedics reported they assessed a total of five people, and transferred three to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as back pain and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s to 70s.
It is the most recent case of aircraft encountering turbulence, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official added, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service said they got a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and often stronger.
In the previous year, 25 people were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a frightening short but intense period of extreme instability. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.
Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while cases of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.
Estimates show that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that are conducted globally.
Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through rough air masses exert more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a restraint.
As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
