American Airlines Flight Hits Severe Turbulence, Ten People Injured
Aside from some shaking, a little in-flight turbulence is usually not a big deal—until it is. American Airlines Flight 759 from Athens to Philadelphia hit some turbulence shortly before landing and it was much more than just a little shaking.
While still over the Atlantic, the aircraft experienced severe turbulence. It lasted only 15 seconds, according to ABC. However, within that 15 seconds, passengers were reportedly “hitting the ceiling,” describing the experience like being in “free fall,” and at least one flight attendant reportedly dislocated his shoulder. Jessica Huseman, a reporter for ProPublica and passenger on the aircraft, said the crew just handed out drinks, causing a huge mess in the aftermath.
Once the plane landed in Philadelphia, three passengers and seven crew members were taken the hospital to examine their injuries. Later in the day, American Airlines released the following statement:
American Airlines flight 759 from Athens, Greece to Philadelphia International Airport briefly encountered severe turbulence shortly before landing safely in Philadelphia. The seat belt sign was on at the time. Three passengers and seven crew members were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. We are taking care of our passengers and our crew members at this time and want to thank our team members for keeping our passengers safe.
There are many things that could cause airplane disturbance, the most obvious being storms but some can simply come as a surprise. It’s most likely this plane hit something called “clear-air turbulence,” when an invisible wind shear forms from swirling winds of different densities and speeds. The phenomenon is invisible to radar and tricky to miss. Airlines have implemented up-to-date forecasting to help avoid these disturbances, and have been tested mounting LIDAR to detect these disturbances, but every once in a while, a bumpy ride cannot be avoided.