Here’s a very good reminder of why passengers should keep their seat belts fastened, and avoid hanging around the exit doors, lavatories and galley areas. On Thursday, an Aerolineas Argentinas flight en route from Miami to Buenos Aires encountered severe turbulence during the meal service. Around 15 passengers suffered injuries and 8 of those had to be taken to the hospital.
Flight number AR1303, operated by an Airbus A330-200 departed Miami at approximately 1.30pm and was flying around an area of thunderstorms when it suddenly hit the turbulence around 4 and a half hours into the flight. Flight tracking service, Flightradar24 shows the aircraft suddenly dropping 700 feet and then being bounded up 1500 feet.
Images on social media show chaos in the passenger cabin with meal trays and other debris was thrown around the aircraft. Passengers, understandably look dazed and confused following the incident. The damage in the galley areas is even worse – with unsecured trolleys thrown around, canisters sent flying and oxygen masks even inadvertently deployed.
Photos also show damage to fixtures and fittings throughout the aircraft – in one, part of the cabin ceiling has come loose, while another shows curtain railings which have come away from the ceiling.
In a way, it’s miraculous that only 15 passengers were injured – it appears from the photos shared on social media that a meal service was in progress. That could explain why most people were sat down with their seatbelts fastened.
The Captain actually decided to continue flying to Buenos Aires – arriving nearly four hours after the incident happened. In a statement on the airline’s official Twitter account, Aerolineas Argentinas said medical services were waiting for the plane on arrival and teams were on hand to help all passengers on the flight.
