Multiple Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney
Several people were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered rough air this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official informed. A number of the onboard staff were injured.
Local paramedics reported they assessed five patients, and transferred three to hospital with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the latest incident of planes encountering severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a major factor.
The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the representative added, stating that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
Emergency responders said they got a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane landed, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, travelers and staff on a certain international flight endured a frightening brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is fairly routine 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 approximately 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of more than 35 million journeys that are conducted around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a plane going through rough air masses exert greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a restraint.
As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.
