An American Airlines flight heading to Tampa was diverted to New Orleans last Thursday after hitting severe turbulence, causing some of those on board to fly out of their seats, a statement from the airline said.
Ten people were taken to the hospital with injuries, including eight passengers and two flight attendants.
Flight 2401, which left the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport around 7:30 p.m., had 190 passengers and six flight attendants on board, Newsweek reported.
The plane made an emergency landing around 9:30 p.m. at the Louis Armstrong International Airport where it was met by paramedics.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Sheri Parsley-Najera, a woman who said she was on the flight, described the experience.
“I flew out to Tampa on Thursday. We hit something I had never heard of called Clear Air Turbulence. There was no bad weather and the flight was smooth prior to this. It was so scary, and I/most of the flight thought we were going down. We dropped 150 feet/50 yards in a matter of seconds, no warning. 10 people were injured, 2 flight attendants and one man were severely injured.”
The woman said she was able to stay in her seat thanks to her seatbelt, but others hit the ceiling and one man landed on passengers.
“The pilot and flight crew were amazing and so professional and put their injuries aside and took care of the injured people. With that said please ALWAYS wear your seat belt when on a flight, even if the seat belt sign is off. It would have been a lot worse!! Our pilot said he has been flying for 27 years and never experienced anything like this.”
The flight continued on to Tampa later that night.
“We apologize to our customers for the trouble this caused, and we thank our team members for keeping our passengers safe,” a statement by American Airlines read.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
