While U.S. airlines have steadily reduced their overall accident rate in recent years, turbulence still accounts for many injuries to passengers and flight crew.
The most recent instance is a Lufthansa flight from Texas to Germany. On Wednesday, the Airbus A330 reported experiencing extreme turbulence and was forced to divert to Virginia’s Washington Dulles International Airport.
Seven persons were transported to hospitals with what are thought to be minor injuries.
Despite advances in weather prediction, experts predict that turbulence will worsen due to climate change in the future decades.
According to a 2021 report from the National Transportation Safety Board, between 2009 and 2018, turbulence was responsible for 37.6% of all incidents on major commercial flights.
According to data issued by the Federal Aviation Administration last year, turbulence caused 146 major injuries between 2009 and 2021.
Last year, a flight to Honolulu and a trip to Houston injured 41 individuals over two days in December.
During a flight to Nashville, Tennessee, that had to be diverted to Alabama in July due to extreme turbulence, at least eight minor injuries were sustained.
Also, according to NTSB data, three flights to Detroit, Miami, and Columbus, Ohio, led to injuries to three crew members.
Air that is unstable and moves unpredictably is what causes turbulence. The majority of people relate it to powerful storms.
The most hazardous kind, though, is clear-air turbulence, which frequently happens without any indication in the sky before you.
Clear-air turbulence typically occurs near jet streams and high-altitude air rivers.
Wind shear, which occurs when two enormous air masses move at different speeds while being close to one another, is to blame. The atmosphere cannot withstand a large enough speed differential.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
