A Delta Air Lines flight traveling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam was forced to make an emergency landing in Minneapolis on Wednesday after encountering severe turbulence, which caused injuries to multiple passengers.
The Airbus A330-900, operating as Flight DL56, was carrying 275 passengers and 13 crew members when it experienced “significant turbulence” en route. The incident occurred less than an hour into the scheduled nine-hour journey.
Due to the severity of the turbulence, the flight diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, landing safely at around 8 p.m. local time, where medical personnel were waiting to assist.
As reported by The Daily Beast, “Footage from a YouTube livestream channel, MSP Airport LIVE, appears to show the Airbus A330-900—with 275 passengers and 13 crew members on board—making a bumpy landing at the airport. Medical personnel met the flight upon arrival.”
Following the bumpy landing, 25 individuals on board were transported to local hospitals for evaluation and medical care. Delta Air Lines issued a statement acknowledging the incident, saying, “Twenty-five of those on board were transported to local hospitals for evaluation and care. We are grateful for the support of all emergency responders involved.”
The flight underwent rapid changes in altitude, which resulted in the turbulence. While it was initially flying around 37,000 feet, it briefly climbed to 38,000 feet before sharply descending to approximately 36,225 feet.
Passenger Joseph Carbone provided a vivid first-hand account of the incident. He said that the turbulence happened in three waves and with each wave, things got worse.
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He said, “I just saw everything fly through the air… I’ve never experienced anything like that, but from now on, when I’m not up going to the bathroom or doing something, I’ll be in my seat with my seatbelt on. You learn that lesson real fast.”
In light of this unfortunate incident, the BBC reports, “In the US, there have been 207 severe injuries caused by turbulence – where an individual has been admitted to hospital for more than 48 hours – since 2009, according to official figures from the National Transportation Safety Board.”
25 people onboard Delta flight 56 were taken to hospital after the flight experienced what the airline is calling “significant turbulence” and diverted to Minneapolis. Details and data: https://t.co/MXMV7CHQl8 pic.twitter.com/4WZ9ccRusZ
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) July 31, 2025
The report further adds, “Estimates show that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that now take off globally.”
The data further highlights how important it is to follow the safety guidelines while flying and though having a seatbelt on might not leave you completely unharmed during a severe turbulence, it would still offer you some much needed protection.
