Multiple Hurt as Turbulence Impacts Delta Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.
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 stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.
Emergency medical services said they assessed five individuals, and transferred three to hospital with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and head pain. The injured were between their 30s to 70s.
This marks the most recent case of planes being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that climate change is a major factor.
On board were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative said, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
Paramedics indicated they were alerted just three minutes before the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a harrowing short but intense period of extreme instability. An individual passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that now take off around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft going through rough air masses generate greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.
As climate change modifies weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.