A passenger has died as a result of a turbulence on board a private jet that was diverted to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, US, according to aviation authorities.
A Bombardier CL30 departing from Delantine Hopkins Airport in Keene, New Hampshire, bound for Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia, was diverted to Connecticut around 4 p.m. Friday after “encountering severe turbulence,” the regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, confirmed to CNN. (FAA).
This disorder “Resulted in fatal injuries.” On one passenger, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) wrote in a post on Twitter.
The NTSB told CNN that three passengers and two crew members were on board the private jet. The circumstances of the other persons are unknown.
According to the Airport Authority, there was no impact on airport operations.
A spokesperson for the Connecticut coroner’s office confirmed to CNN that an autopsy was performed on the passenger who died. The fatal victim has not been publicly identified and no further information has been given about him.
Both the regulator and the board investigating the accidents, as well as the FBI, are investigating what happened, according to statements from the FAA and Connecticut police.
“Researchers already have cockpit voice recording and flight data and continue to gather information from the crew, operator and other passengers,” the NTSB said.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said an initial report would be released in two to three weeks.
Yes, the disorder can kill
Turbulence is a term for air traffic that can cause an aircraft to shake suddenly and can be especially dangerous to people not wearing seat belts, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
From 2009 to 2021, 146 people on scheduled commercial aircraft suffered a “critical injury” due to turbulence, which is defined as an injury that requires hospitalization for more than two days, causes a broken bone, results in severe bleeding or other damage, and involves injury underwear. A major organ or burn, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data.
Of the 146 serious injuries, about 80% were to crew members.
There have been no turbulence-related deaths on scheduled commercial flights (Part 121) since 2009, according to the NTSB.
However, the private jet involved in the fatal crash belonged to another class of aviation (Part 91), NTSB spokeswoman Sarah Taylor Sollick told CNN. Since 2009, there have been 38 deaths related to the disorders.
Although there have been no fatalities on commercial flights due to turbulence for more than a decade, the phenomenon can create serious risks.
Sarah Nelson, a United Flight Attendant and president of the Flight Attendants Association-CWA, a union that represents 50,000 flight attendants from 20 airlines, told CNN that flight attendants pushing carts weighing more than 100 pounds are at higher risk of injury.
“We’ve had flight attendants who’ve been thrown against the ceiling and then fallen several times, resulting in broken limbs. And down the aisle, with unspoken turmoil, we’ve had people who have lost fingers, lost the ability to work, or had injuries that have put them out of business for years.”
Last week, seven people were hospitalized after disturbances on a Lufthansa flight from Texas, in the United States, to Germany. One passenger on the plane described the moment as being on a roller coaster.
In December, at least 36 people were injured on a Hawaiian Airlines flight, and 20 people were hospitalized after the plane experienced severe turbulence.
* Eric Levinson contributed to this article
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