On Sunday, Hawaiian Airlines flight 35 from Phoenix to Honolulu hit a pocket of extreme turbulence at or just before the point of descent into Honolulu International airport. There were at least 36 injuries, 11 of them categorized as “severe”. Now, there is new video that shows the aftermath of this incident.
Hawaiian Airlines Flight with Extreme Turbulence Incident
As the Hawaiian Airlines executive vice president, Jon Snook, has said, “Sometimes, these air pockets can occur with no warning. It’s rare to have that level extreme of extreme turbulence. It was a very extreme case of mid-air turbulence. We’re very thankful the extent of the injuries was not critical. It could have been worse.
He also said that the fasten seatbelt sign was on at the time the severe turbulence struck. Among the injured were three flight attendants.
Early photos and videos showed damage in places in the plane – like in the ceiling as seen below. Also, there were images showing the mess that was on the airplane as a result of the turbulence that caused many things to go flying.
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Caution: There is blood and the aftermath of this turbulence in this video below – VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED
Video emerges of the aftermath from the Hawaiian Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence on approach to Honolulu on Sunday, injuring 36 people. The U.S FAA and NTSB are both investigating the incident. Viewer discretion advised. https://t.co/5op5lANBgz pic.twitter.com/3h20TPO0Yu
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) December 20, 2022
While it is always advised to keep your seatbelt on while you are seated, even if the seatbelt sign is not on, injury in such extreme situations can still strike even with seat belts on. The reason is due to the personal items and cabin items. These things can go flying and strike other passengers.
Based on the flight data, it appears the flight, which was at 40,000 feet, dropped to 39,450 feet before going back up to 40,000 feet and beginning the actual descent. At that point, the vertical speed had been up to 2,300 feet per minute of a drop.
The FAA is investigating the incident and the airline has been inspecting the aircraft to ensure it is airworthy and able to be put back into service.
Please let this serve as a reminder to obey the “fasten seatbelt” sign and to make sure you are buckled in even when the sign is not on, especially if you are going to sleep.
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