American Airlines Flight 980: Severe Turbulence Leaves 6 Injured on Miami-Bound Plane

Authorities say six crew members were injured on an American Airlines flight from Brazil to Miami that was hit with harsh turbulence.

According to ABC News, 145 people – 136 passengers and nine crew members – were on American Airlines Flight 980 from Salvador Recife, Brazil to Miami, Florida when the plane experienced severe turbulence two hours into the flight.

“Everything was fine and the next minute the plane just fell, a huge drop,” said Gillas Correa, one of the passengers aboard AA Flight 980. “I was watching the movie and heads just dropped out. Everybody was in a seatbelt or not everybody just moved up on their seats and some of them just smashed against the ceiling.”

“It was a terrible experience,” another passenger, Charistianne Menezes, added. “Of course I was sure that I was going to die.”

Upon the plane’s landing, officials say local paramedics quickly boarded the craft and took five of the injured crew members to area hospitals.

The sixth injured crew was treated on the scene, and no passengers were injured, according to WPLG. No other information was released about the severity of the crew’s injuries.

Other passengers revealed they were fortunate enough to have an emergency room physician on board who was able to help treat the injured prior to landing.

For more information on the American Airlines Flight 980 severe turbulence incident, check out the following local news clip below:

via ABC News