Four flight attendants were injured following an incident in which a United Airlines aircraft experienced severe turbulence during its descent. The flight departed from Honolulu, Hawaii when the incident occurred during its descent into Los Angeles. The aircraft landed safely and no passenger injuries were reported by the airline.
United Airlines Flight Experiences Extreme Turbulence
A United Airlines Boeing 777 reported experiencing extreme turbulence during its descent into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Flight U-A1157 from Honolulu had descended through FL250 (flight level) when the crew reported there had been an incident.
In a transmission to air traffic control, one of the flight’s pilots commented that though the turbulence had only lasted a couple of seconds, it had felt like wake turbulence.
Wake disturbance occurs behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. It occurs in instances when an aircraft produces lift and creates a vortex that forms two counter-rotating vortices that trail behind the aircraft. The vortices can cause a rolling movement, which results in turbulence. It can be particularly dangerous during a plane’s take-off and landing phases of a flight.
According to data recorded by AirNav Radar, the plane dropped in altitude at shocking speed towards the end of its journey. At 8.28 p.m. (PDT), the aircraft had an altitude of 6320m. Just a minute and a half later, the plane had dropped almost 1500 metres and would drop another 1000 metres in the following two minutes.
The flight was carrying 190 passengers and 10 members of cabin crew when the incident occurred.
One passenger, Marly Wadlington, told ABC7 about the incident:
“I was watching a movie, and all of a sudden we just drop. […] And it felt like we dropped pretty far. It started shaking; everyone was yelling. We were all super scared.”
Four Flight Attendants Injured by Severe Turbulence During Flight
Despite the shaky end of the plane’s journey, the United Airlines B777 landed safely at LAX only twenty minutes or so behind schedule.
After landing, the plane waited for around half an hour before it reached a gate and passengers could be disembarked. Whilst no passenger injuries were reported, four flight attendants were seen by medical personnel after leaving the aircraft. Two crew members suffered neck and back injuries during the turbulent descent.
United Airlines told The Independent that one of the injured attendants had been hospitalised but provided no details about the nature or severity of their injuries.
One passenger reported seeing a flight attendant with blood on her head and leg.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the flight had reported experiencing severe turbulence but had landed safely in Los Angeles. The agency also stated it would investigate the incident.
Have you ever experienced turbulence like this during a flight? Let us know in the comments below.
