United Turbulence Sends 10 to Hospital

Flight experienced severe jostle after flying near Tropical Storm Cindy.

At least 10 passengers aboard a United Airlines flight were hospitalized upon landing after a northbound flight to the United States experienced a severe turbulence incident that could be tied to a tropical storm. Houston CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reports that United Flight 1031 was met by paramedics upon landing on Tuesday, June 20, after injuries were attributed to the incident.

The flight was traveling north from Panama City, Panama to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) when the incident took place. According to aviation officials, pilots elected to fly within 80 miles of Cancun, Mexico. As a result, the planned route put the aircraft on the edge of Tropical Storm Cindy, also named on Tuesday. There is speculation that flying near the storm could have caused the disruption.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and United confirmed that the incident took place. Providing a statement to Reuters, the FAA said the incident happened “in Mexican airspace,” calling the incident “severe turbulence.” A spokesperson for United told KHOU in a statement the 10 injured included one flight attendant and nine passengers.

“Paramedics met the aircraft to provide medical care and initial reports,” the United statement read. “Our thoughts and concerns are with those who were injured and our team is reaching out directly to our customers to provide further care and support.”

The turbulence situation comes during a week when severe weather cancelled hundreds of flights across the United States. Over Monday and Tuesday, thunderstorms and record heat forced the cancellation of 2,400 flights and delay of over 10,00 more.

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