A Hawaiian Airlines aircraft from Arizona has experienced significant turbulence, resulting in a “major emergency” that has left at least 20 individuals hurt, some of whom have been rendered unconscious.
On Sunday morning, as the seven-hour journey from Phoenix to Honolulu was drawing to a close, numerous passengers were ejected from their seats.
The seatbelt indicator was on at the time, according to Hawaiian Airlines Chief Operating Officer Jon Snook, who said that it was the “worst instance of turbulence” he has ever experienced in his seven years with the company during a news conference on Sunday afternoon.
It was found that 11 individuals, including seven youngsters and a 14-month-old infant, suffered significant injuries. Nine other people had minor injuries, and seven of them made the decision to ride the bus to the hospital for further care.
Three members of the aircraft crew as well as passengers aboard Flight 35 were injured. Each was hurt when they hit the ceiling panels and overhead compartments of the aircraft, suffering various wounds, including severe head injuries, cuts, and bruises.
Due of the intense turbulence, one individual is thought to have fractured their neck.
Mobile phone video taken from inside the Airbus A330 airplane shows oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling and many plastic ceiling panels that have been damaged by passengers.
Around 11 a.m., the airport received a request for assistance from emergency services, including firemen, ambulance teams, and the state Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Team.
Twenty wounded people were sent to the emergency center, with nine in stable condition and 11 in a critical state.
Honolulu EMS Director Dr. Jim Ireland remarked, “Although originally we believed there were several patients with catastrophic injuries, it turns out they weren’t that terribly harmed, which was excellent.”
The airline’s COO, Snook, appeared relieved as he explained how all individuals who were hurt would live at the news conference on Sunday afternoon.
“These are always prohibited under our flight regulations, and this is certainly a unique incidence.” This is a really unfortunate situation that is related to the weather pattern passing over the islands. The seatbelt indicator was on, but we don’t know exactly when it occurred—during the descent or immediately before.
Snook referred to the occurrence as the “worst instance of turbulence” he had ever experienced while working for Hawaiian Airlines, although he emphasized how unexpected it was.
“We often fly through inclement weather, so it’s sad that this occurred today.” We will collaborate fully with the NTSB and provide them with whatever information they need.
Following the incident, one passenger posted on social media, calling it the “scariest flying experience” they had ever experienced.
They claimed that several passengers on board fractured their necks as a result of the turbulence’s mayhem.
Following the severe turbulence, Twitter user lynnxxy published a video from inside the cabin: The scariest part of my journey was when there was intense turbulence, which caused several people to strike the ceiling and have head injuries. I’m okay, but really uneasy.
“Some people in the back with shattered necks and facial and head hemorrhage.” This was a pretty distressing situation, therefore I hope they all get well soon,” they tweeted.
They subsequently added, “Made it home safely, but I’m heading to the hospital later to see whether I have a whiplash injury or a waist damage from the seatbelt when I floated up from my seat a little.”
Later, the airline issued an explanation of what had happened.
The HA35 from PHX to HNL successfully landed in HNL at 10:50 a.m. today despite encountering strong turbulence. A number of visitors and crew members received minor injury treatment at the airport, while others were quickly sent to nearby hospitals for more care.
“We are helping any impacted customers and staff and are keeping an eye on the issue,” the statement reads.
The airline said that there were 278 passengers and 10 staff members on board.
At the time of the event, Oahu and locations that would have included the flight route were under a weather alert for thunderstorms, according to Thomas Vaughan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
According to NWS meteorologist Genki Kino, “We suspect the airplane may have flown into a thunderstorm, which may have produced the significant turbulence.” There were sporadic thunderstorms all throughout at that time.
The event happened as a severe cold front started to move across the state, bringing the threat of high winds, heavy rains, and thunderstorms. The aircraft was at cruise altitude at 36,000 feet at the time.
One traveler, Kaylee Reyes, said that the turbulence started around 30 minutes before to landing.
Mother hadn’t buckled her seatbelt up yet when she had just sat down in it.
Reyes told Hawaii News Now that the woman “flew up and struck the ceiling.”
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