A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Plane into Sydney
A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney experienced turbulence Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
Local paramedics stated they evaluated a total of five people, and transferred three to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.
This marks the latest incident of aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative said, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
Paramedics indicated they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane landed, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.
In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.
Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through unstable air exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.
As climate change modifies weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.