Five hospitalized after violent turbulence on United flight from Missouri to Houston
Five people have been hospitalized after violent turbulence forced a flight to make an emergency landing in Waco, Texas.
The plane, a SkyWest 5690 flight, departed at 16:50 from Springfield, Missouri, on Sunday and was due to arrive in Houston, Texas, later that evening. But the aircraft was forced to land in Waco Regional Airport after experiencing turbulence, said SkyWest Airlines.
Severe thunderstorms in Forth Worth, Texas were believed to have impacted the flight's path, the National Weather Service reported.
Five of the 32 people on board – including 29 passengers and three crew members – were injured and taken to the local hospital.
The victims are said to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, McLennan County Office's emergency management coordinator Ryan Dirker told The Independent.
Dirker confirmed passengers on board the aircraft were left stranded in Waco and were still in the airport waiting for a replacement flight at 10 p.m. on Sunday night. He did not disclose whether those injured were passengers or crew.
'The rest of the folks, a great majority of them, are still at the airport trying to figure out next steps', he told local news outlet, the Springfield News-Leader.
'SkyWest flight 5690, operating as United Express from Springfield, MO to Houston, landed safely at Waco Regional Airport after experiencing turbulence,' a spokesperson told KXXV.
'Medical personnel met and evaluated passengers, and five passengers were transported to the hospital. SkyWest and United are making sure the injured customers get the care they need and are working to line up new transportation options for everyone on this flight."
Interim director of aviation Michael A. Reisman said the plane would remain in Waco for a day or so to allow for mechanics to inspect it.
Two other American Airlines flights were forced to divert to Waco because of the extreme weather conditions, said Reisman.
The aircraft landed at the Waco Regional Airport shortly before 6:30 p.m., according to data from the flight tracking website FlightAware. It was in the air for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
American Airlines passengers bused in Italy after diverted flight
"Customers traveled from FCO to NAP by bus, and we apologize to them for this disruption to their journey," the American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement. FCO is about 145 miles away from Naples International Airport by road, meaning it would typically take more than two hours to drive between the airports. What may have caused the American Airlines flight to divert? Historical flight data via FlightAware shows American Airlines usually sends a Boeing 787-8 on flights to Naples. It is unclear why the airline sent the larger 787-9, which Simpleflying, an online aviation publication, says fits 290 passengers compared to the 787-8's 242 passenger capacity. Another key difference between the two Dreamliner variants, which have the same wingspan, is that the 787-9 is 20 feet longer, according to Business Insider. The 787-9 may have been diverted because it has different requirements for rescue-and-firefighting services (RFFS) than the 787-8, documents from Boeing and the International Civil Aviation Organization show. RFFS are needed to ensure aviation safety and minimize risks related to aircraft fires and incidents, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While the 787-8 is small enough to land at an airport with Category 8 RFFS requirements, the 787-9 needs a Category 9 RFFS airport, the Boeing document shows. Data reviewed by Business Insider from AviationWeek's Acukwik says the Naples Airport meets Category 8 RFF, meaning a 787-9 would be too big to land there. Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Ongoing travel chaos at European hotspot as dozens of flights cancelled
Paris-Orly airport has been hit by flight cancellations and delays after the air traffic control systems suffered a malfunction, which caused widespread disruption A glitch with air traffic control systems has caused havoc at Paris-Orly airport. On Sunday thousands of passengers found themselves stuck on planes that were about to take off only to be cancelled at the last minute at the French airport. The chaos has continued today, with dozens of planes grounded. "The situation is improving," the DGAC assured, while instructing airlines to cut Monday's flights by 15%, an improvement from Sunday's 40% slash. "Despite these preventive measures, delays are expected," they warned in a fresh alert to passengers. The DGAC held back from explaining the cause of the system failure. According to La Depeche, the air traffic control issue relates to a radar malfunction. In order to ensure maximum safety, the civil aviation authority has asked airlines to reduce their flight schedules by 15% at Orly. This allows air traffic controllers to space out flights further. In addition to these cancellations, the DGAC also indicates that "despite these preventive measures, delays are to be expected." It advises all affected passengers to contact their airlines to find out the status of their flights. The situation at the French travel hub was considerably worse on Sunday than it is today. Yesterday, roughly 130 flights were cancelled, with a roughly 50:50 split on arrivals and departures. Agnes Zilouri was one of those who was caught up in the chaos. The 46-year-old was trying to find a seat for her 86-year-old mother and six-year-old son after her flight was grounded. The family had been travelling to Morocco for a funeral, Mail Online reported. Many found themselves about to take-off only to be told their flights had been cancelled last minute. "We were on the plane, all seated and belted up, ready to leave, when they made us disembark and collect our luggage... Then we had to struggle," Azgal Abichou, a 63-year-old business owner, told AFP. "The only solution is a 300-euro flight, but there's only one seat left, and there are two of us. And we're not sure it'll take off," 22-year-old student Romane Penault lamented. So, "for now, we're going home." Others took to X to share tales of their aviation woes. One wrote: "My 7.45pm flight to Orly from Dublin was cancelled. It's been almost two hours, and still no email that informs me of a cancellation. It's ridiculous to have to find out right as I walk into the airport." Paris-Orly, the capital's secondary hub, deals with both domestic and international destinations, including to other European nations and the USA. A specific hit has been taken by flights bound for Italy, Spain, Portugal, and southern France, which saw numerous cancellations on Monday. Flight Aware, which tracks delays and cancellations across airports globally, notes that 37 flights to and from Orly have been cancelled in the past 24 hours up to 11am on Monday. Last year's passenger figures show more than 33 million voyagers passed through Paris-Orly, less than half of the traffic seen at Paris' leading airport, Charles-de-Gaulle, data from Aeroport de Paris revealed.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Air traffic controller warns passengers against heading to Newark airport amid travel chaos
An air traffic controller has warned that Newark Liberty International Airport is unsafe for passengers as the travel hub has faced a week of disruptions and chaos. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay at the New Jersey airport until midnight ET on Sunday, marking the seventh consecutive day of major delays. Flights were delayed an average of two hours and 13 minutes on Sunday, with 400 delays and 136 flight cancellations at Newark by 8:30pm, according to Flight Aware. Officials have blamed the disruption on air traffic controller staffing issues and construction. The massive delays come as the Trump administration has worked to address the air traffic controller shortage, while the president has blamed DEI for the recent spate of aviation disasters. NBC News correspondent Tom Costello reported that an air traffic controller from Newark told him it was unsafe to fly at the airport: 'He said, "It is not safe. It is not a safe situation right now for the flying public". 'Really an incredible statement, unsolicited. He just said that to me, and separately, "Don't fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs".' United Airlines cut 35 daily flights from its Newark schedule starting Saturday, citing the FAA's alleged failure to address 'long-simmering' challenges related to the air-traffic control system. United CEO Scott Kirby said the technology used to manage planes at the New Jersey airport failed more than once in recent days. The flight delays, cancellations and diversion were compounded when more than one-fifth of Newark's traffic controllers 'walked off the job' he said. 'This particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it´s now clear - and the FAA tells us - that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,' Kirby wrote in a letter to customers. Newark Liberty International Airport pointed to both staffing issues and 'construction' when it warned travelers about delays on Thursday. The FAA last year relocated control of the Newark airspace area to Philadelphia to address staffing and congested New York City area traffic. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who intends to propose a plan to fix the crumbling air traffic control infrastructure, visited the FAA Terminal Radar Approach Control at Philadelphia on Friday. 'The technology that we are using is old. That's what is causing the outages and delays we are seeing at Newark,' Duffy said. Duffy announced a program to recruit new controllers and give existing ones incentives not to retire on Thursday. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a workers' union, said at the time that those moves could help address staffing shortages, but it also said the system is ' long overdue for technology and infrastructure upgrades'.
