Multiple Affected as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air on Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services reported they evaluated five individuals, and took a trio to hospital with minor injuries that included pain in the back and head pain. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the newest example of planes encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official said, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
Paramedics indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane arrived, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.
During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight endured a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.
In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.
Severe turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a jet going through disturbed air exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As a changing climate modifies weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.
