A Number of Hurt as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney
Several people were hurt after a Delta aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by rough air this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated a total of five people, and transported three to a medical facility with minor injuries that included back pain and head pain. The injured were between their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the most recent case of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official said, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.
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 plane turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.
In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight went through a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and fell back down.
Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that now take off globally.
Severe turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a plane going through rough air masses exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to increase the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.