Because to very bad turbulence, a Delta Air Lines flight to Amsterdam had to land in Minneapolis. A lot of people got hurt.
People started to ask how safe it is to travel in bad weather after the horrible occurrence that happened on Wednesday night.
At about 4:35 p.m. local time (5:35 p.m. CDT), Delta Flight 56, an Airbus A330-900 with 275 passengers and 13 crew members, took off from Salt Lake City International Airport for Amsterdam.
The cabin went nuts when the jet struck some pretty turbulent air around two hours into the flight.
Passengers said that a rapid jolt sent several of them who weren’t wearing seatbelts out of their seats.
They fell into the aisles or hit the bins above them.
There were trays, computers, and bags flying everywhere, and when the staff tried to help, several customers yelled.
At about 7:45 p.m. CDT, the pilots rapidly reversed course and landed safely at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP).
Firefighters and paramedics were ready to help.
Emergency workers looked at everyone who was on board.
CBS News claimed that twenty-five people on board were hurt and sent to the hospital. They had scratches, bruises, and maybe even broken bones or brain damage.
No one was seriously hurt at the time, and Delta didn’t tell anyone about the injuries out of respect for its customers.
Other travelers were checked out at the airport, and some of them didn’t care much.
Delta helped those who didn’t need to go to the hospital find a place to stay and gave them help.
Delta noted that safety comes first and praised the staff who work in emergencies.
“We thank the responders for their help,” a Delta representative said.
“Our Delta Care Team is meeting the needs of our passengers.”
The airline is looking into the issue with the help of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Delta is also helping by providing them vacation coupons, paying for stuff, and adding new flights to Amsterdam.
Experts indicated that the rough weather on Thursday might have been clear-air turbulence (CAT), which is hard to see using forecasting equipment.
The plane was flying high up, close to fast-moving air currents, which happens a lot.
People told their stories on X.
@TravelMom123 said, “I was on Flight 56.”
It was awful.
Things were flying around, and people were yelling.
I’m shaken up, but I’m happy we made it to shore.
“The Delta crew stayed calm and got us down safely,” said another person, @SkyHighFlyer.
They did a great job.
Families of passengers who were harmed are going to Minneapolis to aid.
Hennepin County Medical Center and other nearby hospitals are taking care of patients and claim they have enough staff and supplies.
People have been talking about turbulence injuries on planes since this happened.
According to a 2023 NTSB report, turbulence is responsible for more than a third of all plane crashes in the US, which hurt more than 1,000 people per year.
Some experts think that climate change could make turbulence worse by modifying how air moves.
As always, safety experts are looking for better ways to detect turbulence and enforce laws like always wearing seatbelts.
Dr. Sarah Mitchell, an expert in aviation safety, said that this proof shows that turbulence happened suddenly.
“Airlines and regulators need to get better at finding and reminding people to wear seatbelts.”
In roughly two weeks, the NTSB will release a report that looks at the flight path, the weather, and other things.
They will look for conversations between pilots and flight data in the plane’s black box.
Delta has grounded the Airbus A330-900 for inspection and is also helping passengers who were upset by the event.
Now, the most critical things to do are help those who are harmed and get other people where they need to go.
One guest told the news, “I’m just glad I’m safe.”
It was scary, but we’re all fine.