Sixteen people were injured after a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Newark was rocked by ‘severe turbulence’ on Saturday afternoon, with three flight attendants and two passengers requiring transportation to the hospital, the airline has confirmed.
United Airlines flight UA1890 departed LAX at around 8:45 am on Saturday, but after a largely uneventful flight, the Boeing 777-200 aircraft encountered severe turbulence as it made its descent into Newark.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), thirteen passengers and three flight attendants were injured as the 26-year-old aircraft hit rough air in the New York area.
The FAA did not detail the extent of the injuries, although five of the injured had to be taken to a local hospital.
In a statement, United Airlines told us: “United flight 1890 from Los Angeles experienced unexpected turbulence on its descent into Newark.”
“After landing normally, the flight was met by medical personnel and three flight attendants and two passengers were transported to University Hospital. We’re grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our customers.”
The incident serves as yet another timely reminder that passengers should remain seated with their seatbelts fastened even if the seat belt signs aren’t turned on. In this case, it’s still unclear whether the seat belt signs were switched on when the aircraft encountered the turbulence.
Scientists claim that turbulence events are on the rise globally, and of particular concern is an increase in so-called ‘clear air turbulence’, which is incredibly difficult to detect.
The New York area has been pounded by a series of winter storms in recent days, and metrologists are now warning of a potentially massive snowstorm which could wreak travel chaos across the North East from Tuesday.
United Airlines has issued a travel waiver for the entire region, including Newark, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC and Philadelphia.
