Latest news with #RyanDirker
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Five hospitalised after United flight hits severe thunderstorms
Five people have been hospitalised 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.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
United flight diverted to Texas after severe turbulence injures 5
Five people were injured on a United Airlines flight Sunday amid turbulence so severe that multiple flights were diverted to Waco Regional Airport in central Texas. United 5690 had departed Springfield, Missouri, en route to Houston at 4:48 p.m. and made an emergency landing an hour and 40 minutes later at Waco Regional Airport. Two American Airlines flights that had been bound for Dallas-Fort Worth were also diverted to Waco due to weather, the airport's interim director of aviation, Michael Reisman, told KXXV-TV. The United plane flew straight into an approaching storm system as it crossed into Texas, according to KYTV, citing data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware. It gained altitude and changed speed before landing in Waco, the news outlet said. A total of 32 people were aboard, including 29 passengers, McLennan County Office of Emergency Management coordinator Ryan Dirker told the Springfield News-Leader. The five injured were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the rest of the United passengers were stuck at the airport for a while 'trying to figure out next steps' 180 miles short of their destination, Dirker said. The United plane was to remain grounded for a day or two for inspection before flying again, Reisman told KCEN-TV. FlightAware on Monday morning showed the United flight taking off from Waco at 1:17 a.m. and landing in Houston at 1:45 a.m. local time. It was not clear whether it was the same plane. The American flights continued on to their destination, the airline told CNN. 'Due to storms at DFW, two flights briefly diverted to Waco and later re-departed,' a spokesperson told CNN. The United flight was operated by SkyWest, which said the two airlines were 'making sure all customers get the care they need and are working to line up new transportation options for everyone on this flight,' according to KCEN. The mishap comes after a string of sometimes deadly incidents over the past several weeks, ranging from the collision of a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River that killed 67 people last month, to the crash landing of a Delta flight that flipped upside-down in Toronto, which everyone survived.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
United flight diverted to Texas after severe turbulence injures 5
Five people were injured on a United Airlines flight Sunday amid turbulence so severe that multiple flights were diverted to Waco Regional Airport in central Texas. United 5690 had departed Springfield, Missouri, en route to Houston at 4:48 p.m. and made an emergency landing an hour and 40 minutes later at Waco Regional Airport. Two American Airlines flights that had been bound for Dallas-Fort Worth were also diverted to Waco due to weather, the airport's interim director of aviation, Michael Reisman, told KXXV-TV. The United plane flew straight into an approaching storm system as it crossed into Texas, according to KYTV, citing data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware. It gained altitude and changed speed before landing in Waco, the news outlet said. A total of 32 people were aboard, including 29 passengers, McLennan County Office of Emergency Management coordinator Ryan Dirker told the Springfield News-Leader. The five injured were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the rest of the United passengers were stuck at the airport for a while 'trying to figure out next steps' 180 miles short of their destination, Dirker said. The United plane was to remain grounded for a day or two for inspection before flying again, Reisman told KCEN-TV. FlightAware on Monday morning showed the United flight taking off from Waco at 1:17 a.m. and landing in Houston at 1:45 a.m. local time. It was not clear whether it was the same plane. The American flights continued on to their destination, the airline told CNN. 'Due to storms at DFW, two flights briefly diverted to Waco and later re-departed,' a spokesperson told CNN. The United flight was operated by SkyWest, which said the two airlines were 'making sure all customers get the care they need and are working to line up new transportation options for everyone on this flight,' according to KCEN. The mishap comes after a string of sometimes deadly incidents over the past several weeks, ranging from the collision of a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River that killed 67 people last month, to the crash landing of a Delta flight that flipped upside-down in Toronto, which everyone survived.
The Independent
03-03-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
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.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Five injured after flight from Springfield hit turbulence, makes emergency landing in Waco
At least five people were injured after a plane that left the Springfield-Branson National Airport late Sunday afternoon on its way to Houston, Texas hit severe turbulence and made an emergency landing 180 miles short of its destination. The flight landed in Waco, Texas instead. Ryan Dirker, emergency management coordinator for the McLennan County Office of Emergency Management, said there were 32 people aboard the plan including 29 passengers. "They had turbulence," he said. Dirker said five were transported from the airport to local hospitals with injuries that were considered "non-life-threatening." Asked if the injured passengers were from Springfield, Dirker said he did not know. "The rest of the folks, a great majority of them, are still at the airport trying to figure out next steps," he said. Multiple news stations in Texas including KWTX reported that at least three flights were diverted to Waco due to either weather or turbulence. First-responders from the Waco area responded to the airport to help passengers. According to FlightAware, a real-time flight tracking website, United flight 5690 left Springfield at 4:48 p.m. Sunday and landed at the Waco Regional Airport shortly before 6:30 p.m. It was reportedly in the air for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The flight was expanded to land at Houston Bush International Airport. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Five injured after flight from Springfield hits turbulence in Texas
