Dozens of people were injured on Sunday, December 18, and some seriously, when a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu hit “severe turbulence” about a half hour from landing.
According to a statement from Honolulu Emergency Services, paramedics and emergency medical technicians treated 36 people, including 20 who were taken to the hospital.
“Medical care was provided to several guests and crew members at the airport for minor injuries while some were swiftly transported to local hospitals for further care,” Hawaiian Airlines tweeted.
Passengers suffered injuries including cuts to the head, bruises and loss of consciousness, the emergency medical authorities said. Eleven people were in a serious condition and nine others were stable at the hospital.
Kaylee Reyes, who was a passenger on the flight, told “Hawaii News Now” that her mother had just sat down and hadn’t buckled her seatbelt yet when turbulence hit.
“She flew up and hit the ceiling,” Reyes said.
Another passenger, Jazmin Bitanga, told the news outlet that the plane experienced two “intense” drops. During one, she said, her boyfriend’s metal water bottle flew into the ceiling, cracking it. A photo circulating on social media shows what appears to be a gash and cracks in the plane’s ceiling.
“Just all around me there were people crying,” Bitanga told “Hawaii News Now”.
The Federal Aviation Administration said that the Flight 35 was heading from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Daniel K Inouye International Airport when it reported the turbulence at about 10.35am (Hawaii Standard Time).
The agency said it was investigating.
According to the Associated Press, the National Weather Service in Honolulu said a weather advisory had been issued for thunderstorms on Sunday morning in areas that would have included the plane’s flight path.