Seven individuals sustained injuries after severe turbulence impacted a United Airlines flight en route from CancĂșn, Mexico, to Chicago.
The Boeing 737 made an emergency landing in Memphis, Tennessee.
The incident hospitalized one passenger.
Information has emerged of multiple injured due to severe turbulence onboard United Airlines flight UA1196 Cancun-Chicago which diverted to Memphis.https://t.co/pFOeOCDgQu@RadarBoxCom#UnitedAirlines #UA1196 #Memphis #Cancun #Chicago #AvGeek pic.twitter.com/Q5fqtiFDs3
— AviationSource (@AvSourceNews) August 29, 2024
#Ongoing United Airlines Flight UA1196, a B-737, was involved in a severe turbulence accident over Louisiana (US) First reports point 7 injured, one is in hospital. Flight was traveling from Cancun to Chicago, diverted to Memphis after the occurrence. UA said in a statement⊠pic.twitter.com/VCNuPju9gj
— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) August 29, 2024
Per CNN:
It marks the latest instance of turbulence disrupting a commercial flight in recent months, including a Singapore Airlines flight in May that saw one passenger killed and 71 people injured after encountering severe turbulence. Last week, two crew members on an EasyJet flight from Corfu, Greece, to London were injured when the plane experienced sudden turbulence, officials said. And last month 30 passengers were injured on an Air Europa flight from Madrid to Uruguay due to âstrong turbulence,â the airline said.
âUnited flight 1196 diverted to Memphis this afternoon after encountering a brief period of severe turbulence while the seatbelt sign was on,â the airline said in a statement to CNN Wednesday. âParamedics met the aircraft at the gate and transported one passenger to the hospital.â
The extent of that passengerâs injuries wasnât known, the Memphis Fire Department said. Six others declined treatment.
There were 179 people on board, including seven crew members, according to United. After its stop in Memphis, the flight continued to OâHare International Airport, where it arrived two hours late, according to aircraft tracking website FlightAware.
JUST IN: United Airlines says one passenger was taken to the hospital after flight 1196 hit **severe turbulence** "while the seatbelt sign was on."
Flight from Cancun to Chicago O'Hare diverted to Memphis and is now bound for Chicago again. pic.twitter.com/dSqw5ESNge
— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) August 28, 2024
One person was taken to the hospital after a United flight from Cancun to Chicago was diverted due to severe turbulence, the airline says. https://t.co/93GNiEKpTd
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 29, 2024
Fox Business reports:
Data from the flight tracking website FlightAware shows the plane circling briefly over northern Mississippi before landing in Memphis.
The FAA says its “crew reported severe turbulence over Louisiana” and that it is now investigating the matter.
The Memphis Fire Department said six people onboard the plane declined medical treatment after landing in Tennessee, according to The Associated Press. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
The incident comes as a study by the University of Reading in the U.K. has found that clear-air turbulence has increased in regions around the world. Over the North Atlantic, which is one of the busiest flight routes, the total annual duration of severe turbulence increased by 55% between 1979 and 2020.