Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Aircraft into Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft from LA to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services said they evaluated five individuals, and transferred a trio to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included back pain and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.
This marks the latest incident of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.
Emergency responders indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.
In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" turbulence just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.
Intense turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a aircraft experiencing disturbed air apply more than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As global warming modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.
