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Authorities reported that Four people were injured Wednesday on a flight from North Carolina to Florida due to “severe turbulence.”
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the crew of Allegiant Flight 227, which departed from Asheville Regional Airport, reported encountering the turbulence while en route to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport.
An Allegiant statement also indicated that the flight, which was carrying 179 passengers and six crew members, experienced severe turbulence before landing and that paramedics evaluated two passengers and two flight attendants for injuries sustained during the turbulence.
According to FlightAware, the 70-minute flight departed Asheville at 2:14 p.m. local time and, toward the end of the flight, descended more than 8,000 feet in a span of about two minutes.
A radio transmission from emergency medical personnel at the scene said that hThere were “several head injuries and a possible broken ankle.”
A passenger on the flight, Paul Harris, told NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa that the turbulence caused several people not wearing seat belts to hit the roof of the plane and the overhead compartments opening and breaking.
Another passenger, Lisa Spriggs, told the station that the turbulence was petrifying. Furthermore, she stated that he saw two people break their ankles, including a flight attendant whose “bone was sticking out”.
Once it reached Clearwater, the plane landed normally and paramedics evaluated the four people who were injured.
Several people were taken off the plane on stretchers and transported to the hospital for further evaluation.added the Allegiant statement.
“We will continue to investigate the incident in coordination with the FAA and NTSB and will provide further information as soon as it is available,” the Allegiant statement said.
The FAA will investigate the incident, according to its statement, which added that passengers on the flight should contact the airline to report any additional injuries.
In early July, Seven people were injured after severe turbulence on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to Sydney.
The plane was carrying 163 passengers and 12 crew members on Thursday when “encountered severe and unexpected turbulence approximately five hours after the flight”said an airline statement cited by AP.
Airport medics assessed and released three injured passengers as the flight landed in Sydney, while another of the passengers and three flight attendants were “referred for further evaluation.”
Last year, severe turbulence also injured 25 people aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight, of which four passengers and two crew members were seriously injured. The aircraft suffered minor damage.
Serious injuries due to turbulence are rare, affecting an average of a dozen people annually since 2009, FAA data shows.
Turbulence can have a number of causes, including cold or warm weather fronts, thunderstorms, jet streams or atmospheric pressure, and can occur when the sky appears to be clear, according to the FAA.
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