At least two dozen people were taken to hospitals after a Delta Air Lines Inc flight hit severe turbulence that forced it to make an emergency landing in Minneapolis.
Delta Flight 56 was less than an hour into its nine-hour flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam when the pilots encountered “significant turbulence,” the airline said in a statement. The Airbus SE A330-900 jet landed safely at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport shortly before 8 pm local time Wednesday.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it’s investigating the incident and Delta said it was working with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Twenty-five people, including seven crew members, were taken to local hospitals for evaluation and care, the airline said. The Delta employees and others who shared information with the carrier were checked and released by Thursday morning. There were 275 passengers and 13 crew on board.
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“If you didn’t have your seat belt on, everyone that didn’t, they hit the ceiling and then they fell to the ground,” passenger LeeAnn Clement-Nash told CNN. “The carts also hit the ceiling and fell to the ground. People were injured. It happened several times, so it was really scary.”
While it’s unclear the exact time the turbulence was encountered, Flightradar24 data indicates the plane’s altitude rapidly moved from 37,000 feet to about 38,000 feet and then down to 36,225 feet. It then stabilized at 37,000 feet.
Delta declined to comment on specifics of the turbulence.
Turbulence is common, but when it happens unexpectedly it can injure passengers and crew who aren’t wearing seatbelts. In May 2024, a Singapore Airlines Ltd flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence that killed one passenger and injured 104 people.
READ MORE: Singapore Airlines offers compensation to passengers on severely turbulent flight
Delta said it was working with passengers to meet immediate needs and coordinate travel, including adding an extra flight Thursday night from Minneapolis to Amsterdam for passengers that want to continue to their booked destination.
