A Number of Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Flight into Sydney, Australia
Several people were hurt following a Delta flight from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence on Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.
Emergency medical services said they assessed five patients, and transported a trio to hospital with minor injuries that such as back pain and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the most recent case of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with experts saying that global warming is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
Paramedics reported they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.
Last year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.
Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur worldwide.
Intense turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing unstable air apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As a changing climate shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
