Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney
Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services reported they assessed five patients, and took three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s to 70s.
It is the most recent case of planes experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official noted, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and often stronger.
In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" turbulence just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Recently, those on board on a certain international flight endured a harrowing brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through disturbed air generate greater than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As a changing climate alters weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.
