Thursday, July 11, 2019 ~ HONOLULU, HAWAII
~ summary by West Shore Voice News
Sudden severe turbulence on Air Canada Flight 33 today July 11 on its way from Vancouver to Sydney in Australia resulted in 37 people injured on board (including passengers and flight crew). There were no fatalities.
The flight had flown past Hawaii when the turbulence suddenly happened, and was redirected back to the Honolulu international airport, said officials in a live media conference on national TV.
Most of the injuries were reported as having occurred to the neck and back, as well as cuts to the head.
First responders said they had practiced such a scenario many times, and felt their response was orderly and thorough. Triage was offered to every passenger and crew member at the airport, even they appeared uninjured. Of 30 people sent to hospitals with injuries, nine are said to be in serious condition; seven declined transport to hospital.
The Boeing 777-200 aircraft was carrying 269 passengers and 15 crew and was about two hours past Hawaii when it hit “severe clear air” turbulence, according to Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick.
The aircraft had suddenly dropped, sending people flying up out of their seats with some hitting the ceiling of the airplane cabin. Some of the injured were on the floor without seatbelts. Those in their seatbelts remained in their seats until the turbulence (which didn’t last long) had passed.