Video: Cell Phone Captures Chaos in the Cabin, 14 Injured After Extreme Turbulence Rocks American Flight
Joe Cortez December 19, 2014
Cell phone footage captured the chaotic scene onboard a turbulent American Airlines flight that sent five people to the hospital and injured at least 14.
Passengers on an American Airlines flight en route from Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) were given a scare on Tuesday, when extreme turbulence sent five flyers to the hospital and injured at least nine more. CNN reports American Flight 280 was forced to divert to Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) in order to tend to the injured passengers.
According to CNN and passenger reports, the turbulence took place during dinner service on the aircraft. The pilot made an abrupt announcement for everyone to be seated and buckle up immediately, moments before the turbulence began to throw flyers and service items across the cabin.
“The captain gave a warning to the flight crew to sit immediately and they literally ran to sit down,” Brett Baker, a passenger on the flight, told Dallas-Fort Worth NBC affiliate KXAS-TV. “Everything that wasn’t bolted down or seat belted flew into the air.”
The turbulence lasted, on and off, for nearly an hour and left the cabin a mess. KXAS reports that the turbulence was so severe that one flight attendant was thrown to the roof of the plane and broke an exit sign.
AA 280 made an emergency landing at NRT, where emergency crews immediately tended to the injured flyers. Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American, confirmed to CNN that five people were transported to the hospital, including four passengers and one crew member. None of the injuries were life threatening.
“Passengers [who were not injured] have been transported to hotels and will continue their travel to DFW [on Wednesday, December 17],” Huguely wrote in a statement to CNN. “Our team in Tokyo will continue to provide all necessary support to take care of our passengers and crew.”
According to Yahoo! Travel, the sudden turbulence was caused by a storm developing in the flight path.
[Video: Marcel Coolio via Youtube]
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Even heavy turbulence was not able to knock many passengers from the snug seating in the economy cabin of the B777. We are likely to see even tighter seating in the future as a safety feature.