A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after encountering severe turbulence during a storm.
Five passengers suffered minor injuries and three were taken to hospital, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The plane was travelling between John Wayne Airport in Southern California and Seattle when it was diverted to Reno.
One passenger posted on Twitter that the plane did two nosedives, but the crew “handled it perfectly”.
Crazy turbulence and injuries, but the @delta crew handled it perfectly, even the emergency landing. pic.twitter.com/NoJWLp5GUv
— joe justice (@JoeJustice0) February 13, 2019
“It literally just happened,” Dave Macias, who was onboard the flight, told KCAL9.
“I mean, a flight attendant was in the aisle, doing drink service, you know, when it started. We just saw the drink cart go up in the air. The flight attendant was tossed around like a rag doll. It was wild.”
Macias said two of the injured were a mother and daughter who were in the bathroom when the turbulence hit.
“I looked back toward the back and she was walking out of the bathroom with blood all over her face,” he said.
“We apologize for this experience as we get customers to Seattle,” the airline said in a statement.
According to the Daily Mail, the National Weather Service warned pilots of “‘downright dangerous flying conditions with moderate to extreme turbulence”.
“This is a particularly dangerous situation for aviation in the lee of the Sierra over the next few days.”
If the National Weather Service had in fact warned pilots and airlines of the “dangerous flying conditions” and of severe turbulence then the airline should have taken a far more responsible position and flight attendants should not have attempted a drink service. Simply irresponsibility and a poor regard for everyone’s safety. Severe turbulence is horrific and many airlines will take a different route if it is possible or cancel the flight in the interest of public safety.