More than three dozen passengers were injured after a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Honolulu, Hawaii, hit severe turbulence on December 18, 2022. Videos and photos captured some of the damage.
One photo from the flight showed a crack in the ceiling.
A video showed injured passengers being wheeled to ambulances on stretchers.
#BREAKING UPDATE: Here’s a look at some of the damage to the ceiling of a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu that hit severe turbulence shortly before landing. Courtesy: @MeanHawaii
At least 36 people were injured, including 11 seriously.
You can see some of the videos throughout this article.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Plane Ran Into ‘Severe Turbulence’ a Half Hour Before Landing in Hawaii
According to The Associated Press, 11 people on the plane “suffered serious injuries.”
The plane hit turbulence about a half hour before landing in Hawaii, the AP reported. The emergency services agency in Hawaii told the AP that the plane called for help around 11 a.m. on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
Al menos 36 personas resultaron heridas, 11 de ellas de gravedad, después de que un vuelo de Hawaiian Airlines de Phoenix a Honolulu atravesó fuerte turbulencia antes de aterrizar. Algunos pasajeros salieron volando de sus asientos y golpearon el techo. (Dic 18, 2022)
According to the AP, 36 people were injured, and 20 were taken to the hospital for “further medical treatment,” with 11 in serious condition and nine in stable condition. No deaths were reported.
The plane was traveling to Honolulu, the AP reported. Heavy has reached out to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency for further details.
According to AZFamily, the flight was Hawaiian Airlines Flight 35 from Phoenix, Arizona, and carried 278 passengers with 10 crew. “The airline is supporting all affected passengers and employees,” an airline spokesperson said to AZFamily.
Some People Lost Consciousness on the Flight & Some Had Serious Head Injuries, Reports Say
BULLETIN: 36 passengers were injured, 11 seriously, when a Hawaiian Airlines flight hit turbulence. Flight 35 from Phoenix to Honolulu landed safely. The airport declared a mass casualty incident. Follow @Mighty990KWAM for breaking news.
According to Hawaii News Now, some passengers flew out of their seats when the turbulence struck and “at least one hit the ceiling.”
The injured passengers ranged in age from 14 months to adults, Hawaii News Now reported, and the injuries included “serious head injuries, cuts, bruises and loss of consciousness.”
The plane landed without issue and a “mass casualty emergency” call went out, Hawaii News Now reported.
Passenger Kaylee Reyes told Hawaii News Now that her mother wasn’t wearing a seat belt because she had just sat down.
“She flew up and hit the ceiling,” Reyes said told the site.
A member of the National Weather Service told Hawaii News Now that the turbulence may have been caused by “scattered thunderstorms.”
According to Fox Weather, turbulence is caused by “a sudden and sometimes violent shift in airflow.”
However, it’s generally nothing to be worried about, the site reported. “(The pilots) aren’t scared at all. It’s all a part of aviation,” United Airlines pilot Rob Biddle said to Fox Weather. “It’s a common occurrence. There’s very rarely a flight where we don’t experience some level of turbulence.”
Furthermore, Fox Weather reports that no aircraft has ever crashed from turbulence alone.
“Turbulence has not caused an airplane to crash,” Biddle said to Fox Weather. “Airplanes are built very sturdily. In fact, there’s a lot of countermeasures built into the engineering of an airplane much like a car has different things to make a smooth ride on a bumpy road, airplanes have so many parts to it that’s built into the aircraft to be able to deal with and safely handle the turbulence.” Often, when they can, pilots simply avoid turbulence because they can track it on radar, according to Fox Weather.
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