Sebring

Now we're down to 14 minor injuries, nothing to sneeze at but it only goes to show you how bad media coverage of air incidents is. Reuters talked about up to 40 injuries, some serious. And other media reports also talked about serious injuries.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...ml#skip300x250

yycworldtraveler

Air Canada provides update on flight AC190
MONTREAL, Jan. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada provides the following
update:
Flight AC190, en route to Toronto from Victoria, was diverted to Calgary
where it landed without incident at approximately 08:30 MT (10:30:00 ET)
today.
Air Canada teams are meeting with passengers. At this time the airline
can confirm that passengers and crew have been examined by medical personnel
and 10 passengers have been transferred to hospital with non-life threatening
injuries. All other passengers are continuing their onward travel to Toronto.
Those who need information about passengers on flight AC190 may telephone
Air Canada at: 1 800 961 7099.
The passenger list indicates the Airbus A319 was carrying 83 passengers
and five crew members.
A full investigation of the incident is being undertaken.
Further details will be provided as more information becomes available.

Tangoer

I suspect the number of lawyers retained already exceeds actual injuries sustained...

ProudEdmontonian

Only surpassed by the number of ignoramuses who attack lawyers without any basis.

I hope the injuries aren't serious.

st7860

CALGARY - Six airline passengers were reported to be seriously injured Thursday on an Air Canada flight forced to make an emergency landing at Calgary International Airport.

Calgary Emergency Medical Services said the six passengers are considered "yellow" or "C-spine"
patients, which means that they have potentially serious or life-threatening injuries to their neck, spine or back. They were taken off the plane on a long spine board or stretcher.

Three other passengers reported having minor injuries and were assessed at the scene. Some have requested to be taken to hospital.


A woman injured on an Air Canada flight from Victoria to Toronto is wheeled to a waiting ambulance at the Calgary airport. Several people were injured when the aircraft hit an air pocket.


Most injuries were minor," said Calgary EMS official Stuart Brideaux. "Most people were able to walk off the plane on their own."

One passenger, who said a friend was hurt, reported the aircraft "went up and then sideways. She flew up to the ceiling and right down."

Bryce Paton, a spokesman for the Calgary International Airport, said the airport learned at 8 a.m. local time that Air Canada flight 190, en route from Victoria to Toronto, would be making an emergency landing in Calgary.

"It landed safely at 8:30 a.m.," he said. "It taxied to the terminal on its own power, where it met with emergency crews that included the Calgary Fire Department, Calgary EMS and other emergency personnel."

The flight was carrying 83 passengers and five crew members.

The airline's flight teams have met the passengers and additional details are expected later Thursday.
Traffic at the airport is being diverted.

"We're still looking into it and gathering information," said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

"There's no confirmation yet of how many people were injured or what caused the plane to make an emergency landing. As soon as we know, we'll be releasing further statements."

The flight was met by 22 Calgary fire trucks and more than 10 ambulance units. The cause of the emergency is not yet known.

"Transport Canada will be doing an investigation into what happened," said Paton. "Air Canada is basically dealing with passengers who weren't transported, making arrangements for the passengers to continue to their destination.

"There was no significant impact on the airport operations."

Family members of passengers who are seeking more information are asked to call the Air Canada hotline 1-800-961-7099.

RCyyz

I always buckle up for this exact reason - possibility of a sudden downdraft. It's happened before on other flights and it'll happen again. I hope the pax and crew on this flight all turn out OK though.

But let's also remember that people do go to the bathroom or grab something from the OH bin - you can't really wear the seatbelt 100% of the time. And although I have yet toe xperience the new lie flats in the upgraded J, I wonder how practical it is to wear a seatbelt if the seat is fully reclined.

Anyway, if it's any consolation, at least this incident happened during normal cruising. I read once of a JAL flight where it happened right at meal service so there was all kinds of crap flying loose in the cabin.

NH_Clark

ditto. 100% of the time I'm in that seat my belt is buckled.

zorn

I anxiously await reports of passengers who were not injured but traumatized by the lack of information provided to them about what caused the upset and what was going to happen.

KCnAtl

Ahhh - lawyers give us SOOOOO many reasons to hate their profession

shore9

Would people who were injured in this case be able to sue? Presumably if they are, the rest of the uninjured pax will launch a class action suit too. The uninjured should be thankful they are alive and well, it could have been much worse.

yyz2fra-shuttle

The Globe & Mail article mentioned FlightAware which apparently tracks [primarily US] flights (links below). Notice in the FA log the "bouncing" in the altitude. Don't know if that is normal or a measurement problem or what. I was not aware of this site until today.

Globe:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...l_gam_mostview
FlightAware:
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/A...425Z/CYYJ/CYYZ

taupo

I think the "bouncing" refers to the pilot climbing and descending to finder smoother air.

As previously mentioned, this incident affirms the importance of always wearing a seatbelt. I remember the AF crash at YYZ raising an interesting point for YYZnomad, always count how many seats ahead and behind you of the nearest exits, in case you cannot see and have to count rows.

shore9

It is interesting to note that many here wear their seatbelts at all times while seated, I hardly ever do. I also never thought anything like this was possible, now that I know I will certainly be wearing a seatbelt more often when flying.

taupo

Anyone can sue for anything. Whether or not one wins remains to be seen, or successfully countersued for a frivolous suit.

YYC_BOS_and_Back

Its a measurement problem.

Take the altitudes reported in the flight aware data with a grain of salt.

I regularly work with this data and what you are seeing is that at times two different altitudes get reported. One is the actual altitude of the plane, the other is generally an altitude the computers on the ground think the plane has been cleared to.

For example in this case, my "educated guess" is that the aircraft had been flight planned at 37,000 feet (see altitude entry at 9:36, and then post 9:53). The alternating values between 31000 and 37000 are not the plane rapidly going up and down, but the difference between the flight planned altitude and the actual current altitude.

J

** The original data posted on the flight aware site has subsequently been changed and the oscillations referenced here have been eliminated from the data **