A Number of Affected as Turbulence Strikes Delta Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official informed. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.
Local paramedics said they evaluated a total of five people, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included pain in the back and migraines. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the most recent case of commercial jets encountering turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the representative added, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and often stronger.
During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. A traveler died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.
Estimates show that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.
Severe turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing disturbed air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.
As a changing climate shifts atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.
