A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Flight into Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
Local paramedics reported they evaluated five patients, and transferred three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the newest example of planes being hit by turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.
There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative noted, stating that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and often stronger.
During the past year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are an estimated thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million journeys that currently occur around the world.
Severe turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing rough air masses exert more than a significant G-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.
As global warming alters weather patterns, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
