Another Plane Hits Extreme Turbulence, Injuring 12 People Aboard Cathay Pacific Flight

The friendly skies seem to have been turning decidedly bumpy lately, folks. After a United Airlines flight hit severe turbulence on Monday, injuring five people, now comes the news that a Cathay Pacific plane had air bumps so bad, 12 people were hurt.

It’s enough to make you want to obey the captain when he has that seatbelt sign on: At least 12 passengers and crew members were injured on the Cathay flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong yesterday when the plane flew over “strong turbulence” as it passed over Japan, reports the South China Morning Post.

Upon landing, two injured crew members and six passengers who were hurt were hospitalized. A flight attendant is still reportedly in serious condition as of last night, while the others were released after treatment. The other injured passengers didn’t need to go to the hospital.

“It was even more intense than sitting on a roller coaster,” said one of the passengers. “[The plane] was jolted for at least two minutes. I was thrown up very high.”

The turbulence hit so quickly that there was no time for the captain to turn on the seatbelt sign or alert passengers, he says, saying that some passengers were thrown out of their seats and into the overhead bins. He says the person in front of him hit a panel so hard that it was damaged, echoing what a passenger on Monday’s United flight said happened.

Perhaps it’s time to have a chat with the Greek gods. It’s like Aeolus is out there and we’re all Odysseus. We’ve got one up on him though, and it’s called “keeping my seatbelt on at all times on all flights, ever.”

12 people hurt as plane hits ‘strong turbulence’ [South China Morning Post]

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