At least eight people were injured when an Avianca flight encountered severe turbulence and had to make an emergency landing in Miami on Friday morning.
Miami-Dade firefighters said one person was rushed to a trauma center with serious injuries, while seven others were taken in ambulances to area hospitals.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Avianca flight was en route from Medellín, Colombia, to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport when the Airbus A320 had to divert to Miami.
Avianca said the uninjured passengers were reassigned to other flights to continue their journey to New York. The airline said “the safety of our customers and employees is and will remain the foundation of our operations.”
Serious injuries from in-flight turbulence are rare, but scientists say they could become more common as the climate crisis changes the jet stream. The International Air Transport Association said the number of reports received of turbulence incidents increased by more than 25% last year.
Last summer, 24 people were taken to the hospital after a Delta Air Lines flight encountered turbulence caused by a thunderstorm over Wyoming. The National Transportation Safety Board said passengers and flight attendants were thrown against the ceiling with enough force to break some interior panels before throwing them to the ground and then back again. The seat belt sign was not illuminated at the time, so some passengers were standing and drinks were being served when the plane hit turbulence.
At least 20 passengers filed a lawsuit against Delta following the incident, arguing that the airline could have avoided the severe weather.
The FAA recommends that passengers remain restrained as much as possible to protect against unexpected turbulence.
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