Breaking news!
Two people aboard a British Airways flight suffered broken ankles after the plane encountered severe turbulence en route to the UK.
The aircraft had been flying from Los Angeles to London on December 6, when it encountered some extreme bumps in the flight path, the Independent reported.
While the crew’s initial briefing documents showed no inclement weather, they observed “potentially severe turbulence” building on a live weather app.
“The captain switched on the seat belt sign in advance of the turbulence and our cabin crew secured the cabin accordingly,” a British Airways spokesperson told the Post.
Despite their precautions, a sudden severe vertical jolt caused occupants to be flung across the cabin, according to Simple Flying,
As a result, one airline employee broke her ankle while attempting to secure herself while another passenger snapped his after leaving his seat, having been asleep when the fasten seatbelt sign came on.
To make matters worse, a third flyer fell unconscious.
Thankfully, doctors on board were able to assist injured passengers with the aid of medically-trained passengers, crew and directions from experts on the ground.
After mulling diverting the aircraft, the pilot ultimately decided to continue on to Heathrow, whereupon injured passengers were transported to the hospital upon arrival.
“The aircraft landed safely at London Heathrow, where our teams looked after both our colleague and the customer,” the airline rep told the Post. “Safety is always our priority, and our highly-skilled pilots and cabin crew are trained to manage rare events such as this.”
According to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, the situation could’ve been a whole lot worse had the seatbelt sign been off during the turbulence.
“The event highlights the benefits of live weather app technology and ground-based medical services in assisting with crew decision-making,” a spokesperson declared.
In an even scarier incident in July, severe turbulence aboard a Delta Air Lines flight to Europe caused passengers to get flung violently into the ceiling and back down to the floor, leaving a staggering 18 people hospitalized.
Unfortunately, these frightening incidents could only become more common in the future.
A 2023 study found that clear-air turbulence — high altitude bumps that occur in the absence of clouds — has increased in regions around the world due to climate change.
Between 1979 and 2020, the total annual duration of severe turbulence over the North Atlantic — one of the busiest flyways — soared by 55% beween 1979 and 2020.
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