Several Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Flight into Sydney
Multiple passengers and crew have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
Local paramedics reported they treated five patients, and transported a trio to hospital with minor injuries that included pain in the back and migraines. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the newest example of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more frequent - and more severe.
Last year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing five seconds of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.
Turbulence is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.
Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a jet going through rough air masses exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.
As climate change shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.
