Turbulence is dangerous, but rarely deadly
August 10, 2009
In-flight turbulence is often a mere inconvenience. But it’s also the leading cause of airline passenger injuries that are not associated with a fatal crash, experts say and it can be deadly.
In the case of Monday’s Continental Flight 128, an unexpected blast of air led to much more than jangled nerves, bumps and bruises. Turbulence struck the flight, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Houston, Texas, unexpectedly; injuring seven passengers badly enough to require hospitalization after the pilot diverted the flight to Miami, Florida.
Turbulence, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, is caused by a quick change in air movement. Jet streams, air shooting off mountains, cold or warm weather fronts and thunderstorms can all cause changes in speed or direction. The rapid shift in gravity force — or G-force — can cause a sensation not unlike being whipped around on a roller coaster. Most of the time, discomfort is the worst by-product.
Wearing seat belts, aviation officials say, is the best way to stay safe. Since 1980, three people have been killed in turbulence-related accidents, according to the administration. At least two of those deaths involved passengers who reportedly were not wearing seat belts while the seat-belt sign was on.
There have been 234 turbulence-related accidents since 1980, and 114 passengers were seriously injured in those accidents, the FAA reported.
Flight attendants have been hurt at a much higher rate. During that same time period, 184 attendants were seriously injured, despite their numbers being far smaller than the number of passengers.
For more details, please visit http://edition.cnn.com/.
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