A not so rare phenomenon. The turbulence which cost the life of a person during the London-Singapore flight this Tuesday, unfortunately remains commonplace in aviation. 20 minutes has found several episodes of these plane accidents and incidents which had already sent passengers or crew members to hospital, without causing any deaths until then.
Boeing or Airbus, no type of aircraft can withstand these “air holes” or “strong turbulence” which sometimes shake severely. If you’re phobic about flying, don’t read what follows!
Pretty much everywhere in the world
Only two months ago, in March, a flight between Australia and Chile was particularly affected. Thirteen people had to be urgently hospitalized in Auckland, during a stop in New Zealand. Passengers, who had not fastened their seat belts, were thrown against the ceiling of the aircraft when the plane stalled.
This is often the scenario that repeats itself. In December 2022, a plane from the American company Hawaiian Airlines was disrupted by severe turbulence during its descent onto the landing strip at Honolulu airport. Results: 36 passengers injured, including 11 serious.
During a flight linking Istanbul to New York, thirty people were also injured in March 2019. The aircraft of the Turkish company Turkish Airlines was caught in a zone of turbulence for forty-five minutes before being able to land safely. security. The victims escaped with bumps, bruises and cuts. However, a flight attendant suffered a broken leg.
Fractures, cuts, bruises…
Fractures, cuts and bruises linked to falling luggage or collisions with the luggage compartments were also the result of a major disturbance during a descent during a flight between Paris and the Chinese city of Kunming, in June 2017. This time, it was China Eastern Airlines which was at the heart of the turmoil, to the point that 26 passengers were injured, four of them seriously. The turbulence lasted about ten minutes.
A month earlier, in May 2017, twenty-seven injuries were recorded on a Moscow-Bangkok flight. The incident, this time again, occurred shortly before landing. Fifteen Russians and two Thais had to stay in hospital.
Let’s finally go back in time to January 2016. Passengers on a flight between Miami and Milan were violently shaken aboard the American Airlines flight. The plane had to be diverted to a Canadian airport. Three crew members and four passengers were hospitalized. We tell you: fasten your seat belts!