Several Hurt as Turbulence Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney
A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta jet traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air this past Friday.
The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
Local paramedics stated they evaluated five patients, and transported three of them to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that included spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected spanned from their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that global warming is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official added, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
Emergency responders said they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.
In the previous year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and fell back down.
Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur worldwide.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a jet passing through disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.
