Several Hurt as Turbulence Impacts Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney
A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta flight from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air on Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. Several cabin crew members were injured.
Local paramedics stated they assessed five individuals, and transported three of them to the hospital with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.
The event represents the newest example of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a key driver.
On board were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative said, stating that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they got a call just three minutes prior to the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is becoming more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, experienced "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a harrowing five seconds of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.
Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Estimates show that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million flights that now take off around the world.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing unstable air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.
As climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that flying could become more turbulent: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
