AP, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
A flight from Phoenix to Honolulu carrying many holiday travelers encountered severe turbulence shortly before landing, causing passengers and unsecured objects to fly through the cabin and seriously injure 11, officials and passengers said.
A total of 36 people received medical attention after Sunday's turbulent Hawaiian Airlines flight for bumps, bruises, cuts, and nausea, said Jim Ireland, director of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. Twenty people were taken to hospitals, 11 of them in serious condition.
“We are also very happy and feel fortunate that there were no deaths or other serious injuries. And we are also very hopeful that everyone will make a full recovery,” Ireland commented.
The flight had nearly 300 people on board and carried many passengers traveling to Hawaii for vacation, such as Jacie Hayata Ano, who was going home.
“It was just a little wobbly,” he told KHON-TV. “And then it quickly escalated to the point where we weren’t shaking so much that we were basically floating in our seats.”.
Passenger Jodette Neely told NBC's "Today" show that she saw several people crash headfirst into the ceiling of the plane.
“She was clinging to the top of the seat in front of me to hold on, even though I was wearing my seatbelt,” he said.
Hawaiian Airlines' chief operating officer, Jon Snook, said that this type of turbulence is isolated and unusual, and stressed that the airline had not experienced anything like it recently. Three flight attendants were among the injured, he added.
Passenger Kaylee Reyes told Hawaii News Now that her mother had barely sat down when turbulence began and she didn't have time to fasten her seatbelt.
“She flew through the air and hit the ceiling,” Reyes said.
