A flight from Salt Lake City to the Netherlands experienced severe turbulence over Wyoming, causing a rapid ascent and descent, and 18 passengers and crew were hospitalized with injuries. The NTSB investigation revealed the crew encountered unexpected weather buildups and an overspeed event, leading to the tumultuous flight.
The flight took off from the Salt Lake City International Airport on July 30, headed for the Netherlands, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's When flying at 37,000 feet in altitude near Creston, Wyoming, the flight experienced severe turbulence, with the aircraft rising and falling thousands of feet over the course of a few minutes.
After the aircraft was brought under control, crew members assessed the injuries and determined that the aircraft would divert to Minneapolis. Upon arrival, 24 of the 246 passengers were evaluated by medical professionals, and 18 were transported to hospitals for further care. Their conditions are not known.NTSB officials released the preliminary findings on Tuesday. They said the flight crew was anticipating some weather and turbulence and had made a plan ahead of time. Officials said the departure was smooth, and the crew's weather application said they were "in the green," after which the captain turned off the seatbelt sign. The pilots reportedly began noticing "weather buildups" and requested to deviate right, to which Air Traffic Control suggested they turn left instead. After determining they would stay above the cloud deck and the only concerning weather was 40 to 50 miles away, the co-pilot turned left. After turning, they had an "overspeed event," where the plane exceeded its maximum speed by 15 to 20 knots. This is the equivalent of about 17 to 23 mph above the aircraft's maximum operating speed. There was also an updraft that carried the plane about 1,000 feet upwards in approximately 20 seconds, and the autopilot disengaged. Shortly after, the airplane quickly dropped about 2,500 feet, according to investigators. This pattern of rising and falling happened about three times over a two to three-minute period as the pilot worked to follow procedure and reengage the autopilot. During this time, the force, speed, and tilt were all changing. The nose of the plane went from a five-degree downward angle to a 10-degree upward angle. The wings tilted between a 40-degree angle on the left side and a five-degree angle on the right.Once the turbulence passed, a passenger on board, who was a physician assistant, helped crew members in assessing injuries. After safely landing in Minnesota, medical and fire crews responded and transported seriously injured passengers and crew members to the hospital.
Turbulence Injuries NTSB Aviation Accident Air Traffic Control
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