Several passengers were injured Monday, December 19, 2022 morning when a United Airlines flight flying into George Bush Intercontinental Airport experienced unexpected turbulence.
United Airlines
Airport authority told United Airlines flight 128 was arriving from Rio De Janeiro when it experienced unexpected turbulence. The plane landed safely and ambulances were waiting to treat the injured.
United Airlines stated 2 passengers and 3 crew members were taken to a hospital and they are expected to be OK. According to United Airlines, 193 passengers and ten crew members were on the flight.
- The airline released the following report on the incident:
“United Airlines flight 128 encountered unexpected turbulence while en route to Houston. Upon arrival, 2 passengers and 3 crew members were met by medical personnel and taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
We’re grateful to our crew members for their efforts to ensure the safety of our staff and passengers.”
Federal Aviation Administration
According to the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA), the B767 reported turbulence as it flew directly over Cancun. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating and expected to post a preliminary accident report later this week.
What is clear turbulence?
Aviation experts said situations like this usually happen when the seasons change and they fly into what’s called clear turbulence. Unfortunately, sometimes pilots can’t avoid it because they can’t see it. That’s why they say it’s important to always wear a seatbelt when you’re sitting down during a flight.
“Hot air rises, cold air sinks. With these differences, an airplane cutting through the air, you will feel the actual bumps cutting through the air and that is what causes turbulence,” aviation expert Oliver Brown told.
When pilots encounter clear turbulence, they’ll generally notify the flight behind them to prevent other flights from going through the same turbulence.
Hawaiian Airlines flight from
On Sunday, a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu left eleven people seriously injured after it experienced severe turbulence.
Jim Ireland, director of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services, stated 36 people received treatment, including those with nausea or minor injuries. He told twenty people were taken to hospitals, including 11 people deemed to be in serious condition. The injured included three flight attendants, Snook stated.
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“We are so very happy and we feel fortunate that there were not any deaths or other critical injuries,” Ireland stated. “And we’re also very hopeful that all will recover and make a complete recovery,”
Passenger Kaylee Reyes said Hawaii News Now that her mother had just sat down when the turbulence hit and did not have a chance to buckle her safety belt. “She flew up and hit the ceiling,” Reyes stated.
Snook stated there was some internal damage to the aircraft during the turbulence. The seatbelt sign was on at the time, though some of those injured weren’t wearing their seatbelts, he stated.
Thomas Vaughan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, stated there had been a climate advisory for thunderstorms that included Oahu and areas that would have included the flight path at the time of the incident.
The airline was aware of the climate forecast and the unstable air and climate conditions, but had no warning the particular patch of air where the turbulence occurred “was in any way dangerous,” Snook stated.
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