Here’s a mishap that shouldn’t reassure victims of aerophobia who have an unhealthy fear of flying. Sunday, December 18, Hawaiian Airlines passengers boarding from Phoenix to Honolulu experienced what we will soberly describe as a “busy” flight.
A thunderstorm before landing
After a perfectly normal takeoff to the flight, the last 30 minutes were brisk to say the least. As reported by the Hawaii News Now (HNN) channel, the Airbus A330 — carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members — would have actually crossed a storm, the United States Meteorological Service reports.
At almost 11,000 meters above sea level, just before the point of descent, there was very significant turbulence on board. On social networks, the videos are quite impressive. They show injured passengers, especially in the face.
Passengers didn’t have time to buckle up
According to passengers on the plane, the scene resembled that of a disaster movie. Some literally flew out of their seats, confirming the images showing the damage on board the device. “When I turned around, a couple of people were bleeding and looking like they were preparing for an impact. Everyone around me was crying.”explains a passenger.
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Another explains that the turbulence hit “without warning” and that his mother, who didn’t have time to sit down and buckle up, “flew and hit the ceiling”.
36 injured, 11 of them seriously
“Turbulence this extreme is rare. It was a very extreme case of in-flight turbulence.”Said Jon Snook, Hawaiian Air’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, before continuing: “We are relieved that the extent of the injuries was not critical. It could have been worse.”
In all, at least 36 people were injured, 11 of them seriously, but their health was not considered to be of concern. At 10:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, the plane was finally able to land safely. The victims were treated immediately by the rescue workers.
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