logo
25 Hospitalized After Delta Flight Is Hit by Strong Turbulence

25 Hospitalized After Delta Flight Is Hit by Strong Turbulence

New York Times2 days ago
Twenty-five people aboard a Delta Air Lines flight were hospitalized on Wednesday evening after the plane, which was flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced strong turbulence that forced it to make an emergency landing in Minnesota.
Flight DL56 was diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport after experiencing 'significant turbulence,' Delta said in a statement. It was carrying 275 passengers and 13 crew members and was met by medical personnel upon landing, the airline said.
The Airbus A330-900 landed at about 7:45 p.m. Central time, said Jeff Lea, a spokesman for the airport, adding that people had been injured by the turbulence.
It had left Salt Lake City at about 5:30 p.m. Central time, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware, landing just over two hours into its scheduled eight-hour journey.
The airport's fire department and paramedics provided medical attention to passengers after the flight landed, Mr. Lea said in an email.
Delta said that 25 people on the flight had been taken to local hospitals. The airline did not respond to questions about the nature of the turbulence or the condition of the hospitalized patients.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Some flights still canceled, delayed after storms slam Northeast
Some flights still canceled, delayed after storms slam Northeast

USA Today

time7 hours ago

  • USA Today

Some flights still canceled, delayed after storms slam Northeast

Air travel is getting back on track in the Northeast after heavy rain and floods pounded the region on July 31, but some flights are still being impacted. More than 600 U.S. flights have been canceled and over 2,100 have been delayed as of 10 a.m on Aug. 1, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines have the majority of cancellations with 7% and 2% of their schedules impacted respectively. Travelers should check their flight status before leaving for the airport. Here's what air travelers should know if their plans have been upended. Airline waivers More than 1,900 U.S. flights were cancelled and nearly 11,000 others were delayed on July 31. Delta, and United offered fee-free rebooking to travelers whose Northeast flights were impacted on July 31. American, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and Spirit don't have any active travel advisories listed as of Aug. 1. However, travelers whose flights are cancelled for any reason on any airline are eligible for rebooking or a refund if they choose to no longer fly, according to Department of Transportation rules. Will your carry-on get gate checked? How to tell in advance What happens if my flight is delayed? A DOT rule that went into effect in late October requires airlines to refund passengers if their flight is significantly delayed for reasons within the carrier's control – if they decide not to travel. Customers who choose to wait it out are eligible for various degrees of compensation including rebooking and possibly meal vouchers or overnight accommodations, depending on the scenario and airline. Again, that's if the delay was within the airline's control. Weather is outside of their control and not subject to the same level of compensation. Travelers can find airline-specific details on their carrier's website and the Transportation Department's Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard. Contributing: Zach Wichter, USA TODAY

'Significant' turbulence on a Delta flight leaves 25 passengers hospitalized: How to avoid getting injured when your plane experiences it
'Significant' turbulence on a Delta flight leaves 25 passengers hospitalized: How to avoid getting injured when your plane experiences it

Yahoo

time14 hours ago

  • Yahoo

'Significant' turbulence on a Delta flight leaves 25 passengers hospitalized: How to avoid getting injured when your plane experiences it

Experts explain how severe turbulence on flights can cause injuries — and how to minimize your risk. A Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam experienced "significant" turbulence on Wednesday and was forced to land in Minneapolis, where 25 passengers were taken to hospitals for treatment, the airline said. The plane, an Airbus A330-900 with 275 passengers and 13 crew members on board, was about two hours into its nine-hour flight when it was diverted to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, landing at 7:45 p.m. local time. Paramedics boarded the aircraft and 25 passengers were "transported to local hospitals for evaluation and care," Delta said in a statement. One passenger told ABC News that people who weren't wearing seat belts were thrown into the air. "They hit the ceiling, and then they fell to the ground," Leeann Nash said. "The carts also hit the ceiling and fell to the ground, and people were injured. It happened several times, so it was really scary." Recent studies have shown that air turbulence is on the rise, thanks in part to climate change. So too are reports of injuries due to severe turbulence. We asked doctors about what types of injuries they've been seeing — and how to avoid them. How can you get injured during turbulence? There are a few possibilities. "First, an unrestrained passenger may be thrown about by turbulence, leading to falls or head injuries," Dr. Ashley Panas, chief flight physician at Vanderbilt LifeFlight, tells Yahoo Life. "Second, unrestrained objects may strike passengers." A range of injuries can happen. "Injuries can be minor to severe, and while very uncommon, they can be fatal," Dr. Lewis Nelson, professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, tells Yahoo Life. "Concerning injuries occur when people are tossed around by unexpected, severe and rapid plane movements." The plane can suddenly jerk when moderate to severe turbulence hits, Dr. Erik Antonsen, associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. "If passengers are standing in the aisle, they can lose their balance and fall, sometimes onto other passengers," he says. "Those in seats can experience whiplash-type injuries and can hit their heads against the window or seat backs. Flail injuries of the extremities can occur as arms and legs can get slammed against whatever hard surfaces are nearby." The most troubling injuries happen when people are thrown upward during turbulence, Nelson says. "Objects such as food carts, computers or luggage can also be set in motion and can cause injury, including burns from coffee," he says. What do turbulence injuries usually involve? It's a lot of head injuries, Dr. Russ Kino, emergency medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., tells Yahoo Life. "The most common thing I've seen is mostly head lacerations," he says. "When people don't have their seatbelts on, their heads hit the plastic above them during turbulence. That plastic often breaks and there are a lot of lacerations. There's a lot of picking pieces of plastic from the scalp." Kino says he once treated passengers who hit rough turbulence while flying from Bali to Australia. "We had 100 people come to the ER, and they all had lacerations and pieces of plastic in the scalp." But passengers can also have blunt injuries to the torso or the arms and legs that lead to bone fractures, joint sprains, bleeding or internal organ injury, Nelson says. "The most concerning injuries occur when people are thrown upward relative to the plane during turbulence," he says. "Hitting the ceiling headfirst can lead to head injury or to an axial loading injury in which the spine is compressed and injured." If someone is severely injured during a flight, the pilot may be required to divert and land at a closer airport to get quick medical attention, Panas says. How to avoid getting hurt on a flight Kino stresses the importance of wearing your seatbelt — and not just when the crew announces there is turbulence ahead. "Every moment you can, you should just wear your seatbelt," he says. Dr. Christopher E. San Miguel, associate professor at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, agrees. "People are almost exclusively injured in turbulence events by falling or being thrown around the cabin," he tells Yahoo Life. "It can occur without warning, which is why it's important to remain buckled, even when the light is not illuminated." Antonsen also recommends limiting how often you're out of your seat. "Don't be up and moving about the cabin more than is necessary, and don't stand in the aisles for long periods," he says. "Many people fly frequently and some may tune out crew announcements, but the crew is your most important source of information that can help you avoid injury on flights. Be sure to listen when they are talking." Despite all of this, San Miguel stresses that turbulence injuries are relatively rare. "It is important to point out that the odds of being injured by turbulence on a commercial flight is quite low," he says. This article was originally published on Sept. 1, 2023 and has been updated.

Severe turbulence on Delta flight forces emergency landing and sends more than two dozen on board to hospitals
Severe turbulence on Delta flight forces emergency landing and sends more than two dozen on board to hospitals

Yahoo

time20 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Severe turbulence on Delta flight forces emergency landing and sends more than two dozen on board to hospitals

Some passengers were terrified, convinced the plane was going down. One seasoned traveler said it was the roughest flight he'd ever taken. A woman on board felt like she was experiencing an earthquake. Severe turbulence struck a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam Wednesday, sending service carts and unbelted passengers into the air and forcing an emergency landing in Minnesota, where 25 people on board were taken to hospitals. Delta said flight DL56 landed safely at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and was met by medical teams upon arrival. Video shows fire rescue vehicles waiting on the tarmac as the plane made its landing. When the turbulence hit, Joseph Carbone grabbed his wife's hand and braced for the worst. 'I truly thought the plane was going to go down,' the passenger told CNN. As items flew into the air and passengers around him screamed, Carbone watched as a 'flight attendant just about crashed into the ceiling.' The flight likely hit severe turbulence over an area of southwestern Wyoming that had been identified as a potential trouble spot by federal aviation forecasters earlier in the day. Twenty-five on board the flight were taken to area hospitals 'for evaluation and care,' Delta said in a statement. All crew members and those passengers 'willing to share their status' had been released as of noon Thursday, Delta said. 'All seven crew members who were taken to area hospitals after the flight landed were treated and released by Thursday morning. All customers who were evaluated at the hospital and willing to share their status with Delta have also been released,' the airline said. The plane was carrying 275 customers and 13 crew members, according to Delta. It's unclear whether all passengers taken to area hospitals have been released. The health systems HealthPartners and Allina Health told CNN Thursday morning that they were assessing and treating passengers from the flight. 'The overwhelming majority of the folks taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment have been released,' a Delta spokesperson told CNN earlier Thursday morning. 'We kissed the ground' after getting off plane Carbone said the turbulence hit in three waves: 'bad, to worse and way worse.' The pilot apologized over the intercom, explaining that they were flying above an altitude where most storms hit and the turbulence was unexpected, Carbone said. 'After we got off the plane, we kissed the ground, and Delta took us to the Delta Lounge and got us hotels and rebooked our flights,' he said. Another passenger, William Webster, told CNN he takes about 80 flights a year, but what he experienced on board was 'the craziest turbulence I've ever seen in my life.' 'I felt the centrifugal force. I was off my seat for like 30 seconds with the turbulence,' he said. People were screaming as phones and other items were thrown into the air, Webster said. 'I watched a wine cart just get thrown into the air,' he said, noting that with his seatbelt on, he was able to grab his phone and an empty champagne glass to keep them from flying away. Webster said he was not injured. Another passenger, Leslie Woods, said the turbulence felt like an earthquake. 'There was a little girl across the aisle from me that was just terrified,' Woods told CNN affiliate WCCO. 'She's screaming 'we're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to die,' so I was trying to keep her calm, and I really thought we were going to die. It was that scary.' Ricardo Hoogesteger was headed back home on the flight to Amsterdam when he experienced 'severe turbulence, losing altitude, feeling weightless multiple times, flying carts and getting completely soaked during the flight,' he told CNN. Bottles, cups, and other items from a serving cart were thrown on the seats and floor – and Hoogesteger's clothes, which he said were drenched with a mix of coffee, orange juice and wine. Hoogesteger commended Delta staff for helping passengers through the bumpy ride. A couple on the flight told ABC News that dinner service had just started when the turbulence hit. 'If you didn't have your seat belt on, everyone that didn't, they hit the ceiling and then they fell to the ground, and the carts also hit the ceiling and fell to the ground and people were injured,' Leeann Clement-Nash told ABC News. 'And it happened several times, so it was really scary,' Clement-Nash added. The plane landed around 7:25 p.m. local time, a spokesperson for the airport told CNN, confirming the flight was diverted 'due to reported in-flight turbulence that caused injuries on board.' The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport Fire Department and paramedics met the plane at the gate and provided 'initial medical attention to passengers in need,' before some were taken to hospitals, the airport spokesperson said. 'We are grateful for the support of all emergency responders involved,' Delta said. Aviation forecasters warned of thunderstorms A Salt Lake City branch of the National Weather Service's aviation unit warned of thunderstorm potential Wednesday, noting that severe weather was possible across Wyoming. An aviation weather advisory for significant meteorological hazards, known as a SIGMET, was in effect when the turbulence occurred over southern Wyoming. The advisories alert pilots to severe weather events like thunderstorms or strong turbulence. Thunderstorms were developing in much of Wyoming Wednesday evening and some in the southwestern part of the state had grown to 35,000 to 40,000 feet tall when the aircraft experienced turbulence, according to a CNN analysis of archived weather radar data. The aircraft was at about 35,000 feet when it experienced the severe turbulence, according to a CNN analysis of flight data. Rising and falling air within thunderstorms is very turbulent and can be extremely dangerous to aircraft. Aviation authorities investigate According to data from flight tracking site Flightradar24, the flight climbed by more than 1,000 feet in less than 30 seconds roughly 40 minutes after its departure. It then descended approximately 1,350 feet over the next 30 seconds. Soon after, the plane altered its course in the direction of Minneapolis-St. Paul, where it landed safely about an hour and a half later, the data shows. The National Transportation Safety Board told CNN it is investigating and expects a preliminary report to be ready in about a month. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane landed safely in St. Paul after the crew reported 'severe' turbulence. The agency said it will investigate. The FAA says turbulence is normal and happens often, but it can sometimes be dangerous, especially for those not wearing seat belts. Last year, seven people were injured when severe turbulence rocked a United Airlines flight from Cancún to Chicago, forcing an emergency landing in Memphis, Tennessee. Five people were taken to the hospital last month, after severe turbulence hit an American Airlines flight from Miami to Raleigh, North Carolina. And in March, several flights were diverted to Waco, Texas, due to turbulence on their routes, and five passengers were taken to the hospital. In 2024, 23 people – 20 of whom were crew members – were seriously injured in turbulence events, according to FAA data. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's David Williams, Brynn Gingras, Sara Smart and Sara Finch contributed to this report.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store