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Severe Turbulence: Five Passengers, Flight Attendant Injured On American Airlines Flight To Miami

By Rahul Srinivas
Published on: 08:42 PST, Jan 15, 2016

Five passengers and a flight attendant on board an American Airlines flight were reportedly injured after the aircraft they were in experienced severe turbulence shortly before it was scheduled to land at Miami International Airport. According to ABC News, the plane, American Airlines Flight 1410 had took off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport at 8:08 a.m. today. The aircraft was at an altitude of around 34,000 feet and was flying above Vero Beach when it encountered bad weather which caused the severe turbulence. The same has been confirmed by a senior Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official as well.

After the plane hit the rough patch of weather, the pilot managed to stabilize the aircraft and safely landed the plane at its scheduled landing location.

While the passengers were relatively unhurt, the flight attendant whose name has not been revealed was taken to the Kendall Regional Medical Center, revealed Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Currently, there is not information regarding the extent of injuries the flight attendant had sustained. However, initial reports say that she was left with a broken nose.

The aircraft involved in the incident was a Boeing 737-800, which happens to be a narrow-body, twin jet plane. Data from flight tracking website Flight Radar reveals that the aircraft had the registration N845NN and that it was a very new aircraft – just 5.5-years-old. You can also track the entire flight and the path it took by clicking the link above.

Following the incident, American Airlines issued an official statement that read the following.

“American Airlines Flight 1410 from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Miami briefly encountered severe turbulence approximately 40 minutes prior to landing. The seatbelt sign was on at the time. The flight landed without incident and safely taxied to the gate. Five passengers were evaluated by paramedics on arrival and were released. One flight attendant was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.”

The airline also revealed that the plane carried six crew members and 159 passengers. The plane landed at Miami International Airport without delay at around 11:30 a.m., local time.

Following the incident, people took to social media to talk about the incident and their own experiences of turbulent weather.

While severe turbulence aboard a plane can be traumatic experience, aviation experts reaffirm that all modern planes are designed to withstand even the severest of turbulence. The pilots controlling the aircraft have been given enough training to counter the turbulence and to steer the plane clear away from it soon. Many passengers also believe that turbulence is also the sign of some kind of safety problem which is not the case.

Even with modern RADAR’s and weather tracking equipment, it is incredibly difficult to predict turbulent weather. Modern equipment can keep track of weather conditions that may result in turbulence – not the turbulence itself. Most often pilots following the same flight path are warned by other pilots via radio after which Air Traffic Control operators give them permission to change their cruising altitude.

More details on the incident is expected soon and we will update this report as and when the same comes in.

[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

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