Thirty-six people were injured, eleven of them seriously, on a flight between the cities of Phoenix (USA) and Honolulu (Hawaii) this Sunday, December 18. Very strong turbulence hit the plane and “robbed” some passengers from their seats, several media reports.
Nightmare for passengers on the flight Phoenix – Honolulu this Sunday, December 18th. 36 people were injured, 11 of them seriously, after the plane carrying them to the American archipelago experienced severe turbulence “about 30 minutes before landing,” reports the channel Hawaii News Now (HNN). Several videos circulating on social media actually show passengers injured in the face, some of whom literally “fly out of their seats.” Rescue workers had to come to the aid of dozens of injured people, some with bruises, others with serious head injuries.
CNN: At least 36 people on a Hawaiian Airlines flight were injured, 20 were taken to emergency rooms after their plane encountered “severe turbulence” on a flight from Phoenix to Honolulu. pic.twitter.com/4dvUPyH6tU
— Shongables (@shongables) December 19, 2022
The plane, an Airbus A330 carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew, finally landed “safely” in Honolulu around 10:50 a.m., reports HNN. The plane was apparently caught in a “rare” nose of turbulence for several tens of minutes. “Such extreme turbulence is rare. This was a very extreme case of inflight turbulence,” said Jon Snook, Hawaiian Air’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We are very grateful that the extent of the injuries was not critical. It could have been worse,” he added.
ABD’nin Arizona eyaletinden Hawaii’nin başkenti Honolulu’ya giden, içinde 288 kişinin bulunduğu uçak türbülansa girdi. 11’i ciddi olmak üzere 36 kişinin yaralandı. Yaralılardan bazılarının başından darbe aldığı, kimisinin bilinç kaybı yaşadığı belirtildi. pic.twitter.com/FCveT2dZwL
— ?????????? (@HamdiCelikbas) December 19, 2022
Kaylee Reyes, a passenger, told our colleagues that the turbulence struck “without warning.” Her mother, who didn’t have time to sit up and buckle up, “went flying and hit the ceiling,” she said. Jazmin Bitanga, who was also on the plane, said she felt two “intense” drops from above, one so strong her boyfriend’s water bottle pierced the ceiling. “When I turned around, a couple of people were bleeding and looking like they were preparing for an impact,” she said. “Everyone around me was crying”
A storm ?
The turbulence happened “just before or at the point of descent” of the plane, explained Jon Snook. The United States National Weather Service (NWS) estimates that the latter would have occurred at about 36,000 feet (nearly 11,000 meters above sea level). “We believe the flight may have flown through a thunderstorm that may have caused severe turbulence,” argued NWS meteorologist Genki Kino.
Dozens of firefighters and paramedics came to the scene to help the victims. Twenty of them were taken to the emergency room, eleven were in serious condition.
According to Jon Snook, an investigation led by the Federal Aviation Administration is underway to determine the circumstances of the accident.