Turbulence is the leading cause of injuries to passengers and flight attendants in non-fatal events, and over 25 percent of serious turbulence-related injuries result in flight diversions.1 Dozens of people are injured worldwide each year in turbulence incidents. In the 10 years from 2007 through 2016, 424 passengers and crewmembers suffered serious injuries as a result of in-flight turbulence, according to U.S. Federal Aviation Administration statistics.
In May, 27 people were injured, some of them with broken bones, when an Aeroflot Boeing 777 hit turbulence while en route from Moscow to Bangkok. In June, a United Airlines 737 encountered extreme turbulence over Mexico while flying from Panama City, Panama, to Houston. According to media reports, nine passengers and one crewmember were injured, and three of the injured required hospital treatment. And in August, 10 people were injured when an American Airlines flight from Athens, Greece, to Philadelphia encountered unex…
