Several Affected as Turbulence Impacts A Delta Airlines Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia
Multiple passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines jet from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services stated they treated five patients, and transferred three to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as pain in the back and headaches. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the latest incident of commercial jets being hit by turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official said, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they got a call just a mere three minutes before the plane arrived, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.
Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and often stronger.
Last year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
In-flight turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through rough air masses apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As climate change shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to heighten the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
