Four Flight Attendants Injured After Turbulence Hits United Flight
Passengers described hearing a 'huge bang' before the plane experienced a severe drop, injuring four crew members.
Four flight attendants sustained injuries after severe turbulence struck a United Airlines flight on Wednesday evening. The flight, originating in Honolulu, Hawaii, and en route to Los Angeles, California, experienced a sudden drop that passengers described as feeling like a "huge bang."
Emergency medical services were dispatched to the gate at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) upon the plane's arrival. United Airlines confirmed that four flight attendants were evaluated by medical personnel, with one being transported to a hospital for further treatment. According to a radio call recording obtained by ABC 7, two of the injured flight attendants, aged 58 and 62, suffered neck and back injuries.
Passengers reported hearing a loud noise followed by a significant drop. "I was watching a movie and all of a sudden we just drop," passenger Marly Wadlington told ABC 7. "And it felt like we dropped pretty far. It started shaking, everyone was yelling. We were all super scared." Another passenger, Coral Pena, described the event as "a huge bang and then we started falling."
United stated that no passengers were injured during the incident. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200 twin jet, carried 190 passengers and 10 crew members. The pilot reported to air traffic control that the event felt like "wake turbulence" and lasted only a few seconds before the plane stabilized. After landing, the aircraft waited on the tarmac for approximately 30 minutes before a gate became available.