Lufthansa flight encounters severe turbulence, drops thousands of feet, 7 people hospitalised
Lufthansa flight encounters turbulence, seven people hospitalised. Photo: Twitter, Instagram
A Lufthansa flight from Austin, US to Frankfurt, Germany had to make an emergency landing in Virginia after encountering severe turbulence. The turbulence, which seemed to come without warning, was so severe, that one passenger said he saw a flight attendant hit the ceiling of the plane.
Another passenger, Susan Zimmerman, who's also pregnant, said that it felt weightless for a moment.
Zimmerman says she had her seat belt on and she and her baby are safe.
What happened:
- The plane, Lufthansa Flight 469, was carrying 172 passengers and 12 crew members when it hit turbulence 90 minutes into the journey.
Due to many news outlets asking for permission to use this picture my wife texted me and said everyone is permitted to use the pictures and this small video you may reach her on whatsapp at +1 (254) 423‑6927 pic.twitter.com/2lJNFPYwFT
— Stryker Fadhel (@ModerMuna) March 2, 2023
- The flight was 37,000 feet up in the air when it reported turbulence.
- The plane, an Airbus A330, landed at Dulles at about 9:10 pm (US time).
- Seven people were hospitalised upon emergency landing.
- On social media, videos and pictures of the aftermath of the turbulence showed snacks and other things strewn on the floor.
Lufthansa Airbus A330-300 (D-AIKK, built 2008) operating #LH469 from Austin to Frankfurt safely diverted to Washington-IAD Intl(KIAD), VA bc of multiple injuries on board due to severe turbulences. The A330 was flying over W Virgina at 37000 ft at the time. Video: Susan Zimmerman pic.twitter.com/D2cfnR56WY
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) March 2, 2023
- Among the passengers were Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey.
- Camila Alves shared a video on her Instagram page of the incident and said that the plane dropped almost 4,000 feet in a few seconds.
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Missing dog:
- One man on Twitter was trying to reach out to Lufthansa and other passengers on the plane as his dog was on the plane being transported to him in Singapore.
Our dog was on the plane in route to be delivered to us in Singapore. We can’t get any info from anyone with @Lufthansa_USA at the Washington airport. We just want to know he is okay. And is being looked after.
— Garrett Stuteville (@g_stuteville) March 2, 2023
- After a while, he updated that his dog was safe.
Yes, our dog was taken care of by members of the ground crew. We even received so pictures and updates. He is doing great and will continue his journey to meet us in Singapore.
— Garrett Stuteville (@g_stuteville) March 2, 2023
Turbulence:
- Turbulence is unstable air that flows in an unpredictable manner. The most dangerous type is clear-air turbulence which is harder to detect.
- Turbulence has been a major cause of injuries on flights according to the 2021 US National Transportation Safety Board report.
- Reports also suggest that climate change could be contributing to increasing encounters of turbulences for flights.
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