Several Injured as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney
A number of individuals were hurt following a Delta Airlines jet from LA to Sydney experienced rough air this past Friday.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they assessed five patients, and transported three of them to hospital with minor injuries that comprised back pain and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the most recent case of planes experiencing turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official said, adding that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.
Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just three minutes prior to the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and often stronger.
During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "significant" rough air just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.
Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of more than 35 million journeys that currently occur worldwide.
Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane experiencing rough air masses exert more than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.
As climate change alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are expected to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
