Climate Change
7 People Hospitalized After Extreme Turbulence on Lufthansa Flight
Seven people were hospitalized after a flight headed for Germany was hit by severe turbulence and made an emergency landing in Washington, DC, Wednesday night.
Lufthansa Flight 469 departed Austin, Texas, and flew over Tennessee when it suffered “severe turbulence,” according to NBC News.
BREAKING OVERNIGHT: Several people were hospitalized after a Lufthansa flight from Texas to to Germany was forced to land in Washington D.C. after extreme turbulence. @GioBenitez has the details.https://t.co/VDuCPeZ9Gg pic.twitter.com/GnoiDeiwpN
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 2, 2023
A simulated radar showed the plane dipping at least 300 feet during the flight, as a storm cell lingered over Tennessee and North Carolina.
The plane diverted from its course and landed at Dulles International Airport at 9:12 p.m., according to FlightAware.com.
A Twitter user, who claimed his wife was on the flight, said the turbulence was a surprise and those hurt weren’t wearing seat belts.
My wife was on that flight she sent this pic This is what the inside looked like food everywhere, people who didn't have the seat belts fastened got hurt mostly cause it came as surprise without seat belt sign on and lighting hit the plane badly went 1k ft down & up pilot said pic.twitter.com/NJi2JC6shk
— Stryker Fadhel (@ModerMuna) March 2, 2023
Food and papers are strewn around the cabin after the turbulence hit.
The plane was forced to land in Virginia on Wednesday night.
Twitter / @ModerMuna
“People who didn’t have the seat belts fastened got hurt mostly cause it came as surprise without seat belt sign on and lighting hit the plane badly,” the passenger’s spouse said on Twitter.
The plane went into a free fall during the dinner service, as “people and food went flying into the air, hitting and even damaging the ceiling of the plane,” according to a passenger who spoke to the Washington Post.
The outlet reported a passenger was brought off the plane in a wheelchair after being badly hurt with blood splattering over their seats.
The FAA confirmed the incident and will conduct an investigation into the incident.
“Lufthansa Flight 469 diverted to Dulles International Airport and landed without incident around 9:10 p.m. after crew reported encountering severe turbulence at 37,000 feet altitude over Tennessee,” the FAA said in a statement obtained by CBS News. “The Airbus 330 was flying from Austin, Texas to Frankfurt, Germany. The FAA will investigate.”
The flight path for Lufthansa Flight 469 on Wednesday night.
flightaware.com
The airline had paid for hotel rooms and taxi services but paid for no other expenses, according to the Washington Post.
No further updates on the injured were provided.
The flight took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 5:52 p.m. ET.
In December 2022, a United Airlines flight dove 1,400 feet shortly after takeoff in Hawaii.
