In the latest incident of extreme turbulence to affect commercial aviation, a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight was forced to turn back after encountering “severe turbulence”.
At least one passenger reportedly hit the ceiling, though no severe injuries were reported among passengers and crew.
Source: SAS – Scandinavian Airlines on Facebook
On Friday (15 Nov), flight-tracking website Flightradar24 reported that Scandinavian Airlines flight SK957 had inexplicably turned back towards Europe.
The plane, which was flying from Stockholm to Miami, had made it almost to the East Coast of North America before turning back after passing over Greenland.
Source: @flightradar24 on X
Later, FlightRadar24 reported that SK957 had landed safely in Copenhagen, about 663km from where it started, after flying for about 10 hours.
According to FlightRadar24’s records, SK957 descended 8,300 feet, or 2500m, over Greenland.
“This indicates that the flight was hit by severe turbulence,” the website said.
Source: @flightradar24 on X
It was diverted to Copenhagen for a technical inspection, it added.
A video being circulated across social media showed passengers screaming as the plane lurched downwards.
Source: @Turbinetraveler on X
Passengers were seen flying off their seats, with one hitting his head, and items like a bottle of Coke falling from the overhead cabin.
Source: @Turbinetraveler on X
A photo posted on X showed items and bits of food strewn on the floor.
Source: @zamzam1925 on X
They were taken after the plane was struck by turbulence, said the user who posted them.
Source: @zamzam1925 on X
In a statement quoted by CNN, SAS said flight SK957, with 254 passengers on board, encountered severe turbulence over Greenland on Thursday (14 Nov).
It was rerouted to Copenhagen, where a thorough inspection of the aircraft will be conducted as required by standard safety procedures.
Explaining why it didn’t continue to Miami as scheduled, SAS said it didn’t have the necessary facilities and staff for this level of inspection in Miami Airport.
Thus, the airline decided that rerouting to Copenhagen was necessary as “both hangar space and qualified technicians were available”, it noted, adding that flying to Miami would lead to the plane being grounded “for an extended period, leading to multiple cancellations”.
Upon landing, passengers were assisted with rebooking another flight and placed in a hotel overnight.
The airline maintained that no passengers or crew reported severe injuries.
A passenger on the plane told CNN that a woman seated near him “flew up to the ceiling” and landed on the floor.
She wasn’t wearing her seatbelt when the turbulence started, Mr Sammy Solstad said.
He felt lucky to be alive, adding that passengers were praying and asking to land rather than keep on flying over the sea.
Passengers were met by a “special assistance team” upon arrival in Copenhagen where they were “assisted with rebooking,” the statement said.
Also read: Lufthansa flight hit with severe turbulence while travelling from Argentina to Germany, 11 injured
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Featured image adapted from @Turbinetraveler on X and @zamzam1925 on X.
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