Have you ever been in a plane that had severe Turbulence..like this one

[hollydolly]

An Airbus travelling from Spain to Argentina on a 12 hour flight 3 days ago , was suddenly hit by Turbulence 7 hours in, which was so severe that one passenger was thrown up and hit her head on the ceiling of the plane, and broke her nose.. while sevral others hit their head on the ceiling after being thrown from their seats

The flight descended into pandemonium, with passengers, most of whom had been sleeping, panicking and food and drinks trolleys thrown around.

Aerolíneas Argentinas said that at the time of the turbulence, seat belt signs were on and an announcement had been made.

But some passengers fumbling for seatbelts or those who were unbuckled at the time hit the ceiling.

Trolleys and bags hurtled through the cabin as the hand luggage compartments opened.

At least 12 people were injured and three of them were later hospitalized with severe injuries. One was left with a broken nose, according to Bild.

The flight did land in Buenos Aires eventually, four-and-a-half hours after the turbulence began.

Passengers who suffered injuries were taken to hospital for treatment. Some were admitted.

Speaking to newspaper El Pais, passenger Adrian Torres said: 'We had flown about seven hours and almost all of us slept, because at that time it was almost three in Spain.

'The plane started to move a lot and I said to my colleagues, 'how much turbulence, buckle up!

'As I fumbled for my seat belt, the plane encountered severe turbulence.'

He explained that the plane then suddenly dropped metres and they shot at the ceiling, leaving him bruised.

Adrian added that the incident left his colleague with a broken nose.

A part of the ceiling panelling was destroyed by the turbulence

 

[Blessed]

I am already terrified of flying, this does not help. I take sedatives to even get on a plane. I had no choice when my husband had to travel to a cancer clinical trial. I got used to it but I had to have that medication to do it. I know that sounds crazy. So many love to fly, I love seeing new places and things, I just don't like to fly to get there.

 

[Lewkat]

I've been on planes that threw me from one end of the fuselage to the other. Of course, I was a flight nurse at that time, and we hit turbulence more often than I would have believed possible. Going to Morocco several years ago, we were tossed around the sky like toys going over the Strait of Gibraltar. Ran into a violent front that came straight across the Atlantic. We were prepared for that one, however.

 

[hollydolly]

I've flown hundreds of times, and of course experienced turbulence which is sometimes quite scary, but never as bad as this one..

 

[CinnamonSugar]

@hollydolly et al, I would have thought with the updated technology, they could have been forewarned about the kind of conditions that would make for such turbulence and re-routed? But what I know about this kind of thing is next to nothing, so…

 

[hollydolly]

@hollydolly et al, I would have thought with the updated technology, they could have been forewarned about the kind of conditions that would make for such turbulence and re-routed? But what I know about this kind of thing is next to nothing, so…

we need @oldman here to explain if that would be possible..

 

[jujube]

The worst was flying during a storm over the Turkish mountains in a smallish Medevac plane with my 8-day-old daughter in my arms. The plane was being tossed from side-to-side and I strongly believed that her father would never get to see her (or me again).

I think we were near to going down.

 

[Alligatorob]

I used to fly a lot, have over 6 million miles on Delta and 100k or more on some other airlines. I have been in turbulence, but never seen anything like what that flight got...

 

[win231]

Yes, 25 years ago & I was in the wrong part of the plane at the wrong time.
I was in the restroom when the whole plane started shaking violently. I had to hold on to the sink. I didn't know what turbulence was & I thought the plane was going to crash. I remember thinking, "Well.....I made it to 45 & that's about it. At least it won't hurt."

 

[JaniceM]

I've only flown a few times, the only time there was any turbulence was a thunderstorm and it was a smaller-sized plane than usual. Didn't bother me at all.

 

[Llynn]

No, nothing even close to that...thankfully.

 

[Victoria]

No, not turbulence that bad. Yikes. I was on a plane that couldn't land, had to keep circling the runway till it was cleared of ice safely enough to land. That was scary, but no turbulence.

 

[oldman]

I've flown hundreds of times, and of course experienced turbulence which is sometimes quite scary, but never as bad as this one..

Holly, I just happen to be looking over some posts and ran across this one. Of course, anything related to aviation grabs my attention. Questions about turbulence are probably one of the most asked in any setting when people learn that I was a former pilot. There is no one reason what causes turbulence. It could be anything from weather related to planes crossing over the jet stream to high level wind shear or even convection or flying over mountain tops.

Turbulence as severe as what was described in the thread could have been caused by the plane crossing over the jet stream, or high level wind shear. Wind shear can be detected by the pilots using their radar screen. Planes are equipped with Doppler radar, so some weather phenoms can be seen on the plane’s radar screen. The plane’s Doppler radar is also capable a detecting turbulence. This is how the pilots were able to forewarn the passengers to buckle up. The pilots also know before take off that they will be crossing over the jet stream just by looking at the weather map.

I also read that the airline stated that the seatbelt sign was on and at least one passenger is stating that it wasn’t. This can be determined by either the CVR or the FDR. When the two readings from these boxes are read, the argument will be settled. As for people becoming unnerved during heavy turbulence, it’s best to keep in mind that turbulence alone will not bring down an aircraft. Even when it feels like the bottom dropped out, there is nothing to worry about. Pilots are trained to control their plane during heavy turbulence. Rule number one has always been to keep the wings level.

That may sound dumb to some people, but it only stands to reason that keeping the wings level can prevent pilots from losing control of the aircraft. Heavy turbulence will sometimes cause a plane to yaw, which is when the plane starts dipping left to right. If yawing is not corrected, it is possible for things to become worse. This is why keeping the wings level is priority one.

With today’s technology and all of the backup (fail-safe) systems, bringing down an airplane has become an almost impossible task, mechanically or electronically. A hydraulic line can break at anytime, but pilots are trained to deal with those issues. We haven’t had a major fatal accident on a passenger aircraft here in the U.S. since 2009. Believe me when I tell you that pilots want to live just as bad as their passengers. When flying, pilots will tell you that it’s always safety first. It wasn’t too long ago when pilots would rush to keep on schedule to appease the airline elite, but that philosophy has fell by the wayside. Too many pilots were rushing to stay on time and not completing their checklists properly.

I just flew last Tuesday. We were the first plane out at 6:10 a.m., so there shouldn’t have been any excuses for leaving late, but evidently the FO ( First Officer) had overslept and was late getting onboard. The Captain announced to the passengers, all 23 of us on a B-757, that we would be departing as soon as the FO was onboard. I noticed when he arrived and was seated, the Purser locked the cabin door and then it was still another 7 or 8 minutes before we were pushed back. I knew then that they had taken the time to run their checklist before letting the tower know they were ready for push back. It gave me a sense of security knowing that my pilots were following the book and not in rush to get airborne to stay on time. We still arrived at our destination 5 minutes early.

Sorry for the long post. Sometimes I try to be too exact to make my posts clear to anyone that doesn’t understand or have a lot of knowledge about aviation. I hope my post gives you some understanding about turbulence. Most of all, please try not to worry when in turbulence. Your pilots have been expertly trained to handle any situation that may arise while the plane is in flight. A lot of things have really changed in the airline industry, including morale of the flight crews. If an emergency should arise, pay close attention to what the FA’s tell you. They are professionally trained and want to keep you safe. Happy flying!

 

[hollydolly]

Excellent Explanation @oldman .. sometimes we just need an expert on these matters... Great to see you here again..

 

[oldman]

Yes, 25 years ago & I was in the wrong part of the plane at the wrong time.
I was in the restroom when the whole plane started shaking violently. I had to hold on to the sink. I didn't know what turbulence was & I thought the plane was going to crash. I remember thinking, "Well.....I made it to 45 & that's about it. At least it won't hurt."

Sitting over the wings is the best place to be during heavy turbulence. There is more balance in that area.

 

[hollydolly]

Sitting over the wings is the best place to be during heavy turbulence. There is more balance in that area.

I almost always book a seat over the wings

 

[charry]

Yes I had a bad experience on our flight from Heathrow to Antigua
we were mid aisle …..but people at the back rows came flying over us and landed on the front rows …
a few were badly/injured
all in all it last 5 mins I would say….

 

[hollydolly]

Yes I had a bad experience on our flight from Heathrow to Antigua
we were mid aisle …..but people at the back rows came flying over us and landed on the front rows …
a few were badly/injured
all in all it last 5 mins I would say….

OMG.. was that reported in the Media.. ?

 

[oldman]

I almost always book a seat over the wings

Those seats are generally the best seats for a few reasons. But, mostly because the plane is balanced best in that area, so the ride is usually best when sitting there. Because if my height, I either book first class or try to get the emergency door seating. I need leg room.

Yes I had a bad experience on our flight from Heathrow to Antigua
we were mid aisle …..but people at the back rows came flying over us and landed on the front rows …
a few were badly/injured
all in all it last 5 mins I would say….

Didn’t the pilot try different elevations, or was the turbulence sudden?

 

[charry]

Those seats are generally the best seats for a few reasons. But, mostly because the plane is balanced best in that area, so the ride is usually best when sitting there. Because if my height, I either book first class or try to get the emergency door seating. I need leg room.

Didn’t the pilot try different elevations, or was the turbulence sudden?

I don’t know old man
it was just sudden to me and I wouldn’t want to see anything like it again !!

 

[charry]

OMG.. was that reported in the Media.. ?

Not sure holly ……
I just wanted to land and go home …..

 

[CarolfromTX]

Dave and I always wear our seatbelts unless we get up to use the restroom, because you never know when turbulence will occur. Thank God we never experienced turbulence that severe.

 

[Alligatorob]

Great explanation @oldman thanks for that.

Two flights I am glad I wasn't on, don't think turbulence caused either:

China Airlines Flight 006: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Airlines_Flight_006 While flying over the Pacific Ocean, the No. 4 engine on the Boeing 747 lost all thrust. Instead of completing the checklist for lost thrust in an engine, the captain decided to simply try to restart the engine. While this wasn't working, the plane's speed decreased. When the captain disengaged the autopilot, the plane inverted and started diving towards the ocean. There were so many clouds and the g-forces were so strong that no one could tell which way was up or down. The pilots managed to break free from the dive and made an emergency landing in San Francisco.

TWA Flight 841: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_841_(1979) While flying over Michigan, the pilots had the Boeing 727's autopilot on Altitude Hold when the plane began a steep roll to the right. When they disengaged the autopilot to try to correct it, the plane ended up barrel rolling 360 degrees twice. The pilots managed to stop further rolls by extending the landing gear and made an emergency landing in Detroit.

 

[Giants fan1954]

I am already terrified of flying, this does not help. I take sedatives to even get on a plane. I had no choice when my husband had to travel to a cancer clinical trial. I got used to it but I had to have that medication to do it. I know that sounds crazy. So many love to fly, I love seeing new places and things, I just don't like to fly to get there.

Doesn't sound crazy to me,I am beyond terrified,even when someone I know is flying I'm on pins & needles until I know they're safe.
My only experience was in 1980 to the Bahamas and back,hated it then...a few bloody Marys didn't even help and you could smoke back then!

 

[Alligatorob]

I am already terrified of flying

Sorry to hear that, but you are not alone, lots of people are.

I am enough of a statistician not to be. I know the flight is safer than the drive to the airport.