Multiple Injured as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals have been injured after a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the latest incident of commercial jets being hit by severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that climate change is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative added, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is getting more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight endured a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and fell back down.
Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a sum of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted worldwide.
Intense turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a plane going through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.
As global warming modifies weather patterns, specialists caution that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.