‘Severe turbulence’ tosses people into air on plane from NC, injuring 4, reports say
“Severe turbulence” injured four people on an Allegiant flight as some on board were tossed into the air, news outlets reported.
The plane was going from Asheville, North Carolina, to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida when it experienced a “sudden burst of turbulence” on Wednesday, July 12, passenger Paul Harris told Spectrum News.
“The plane felt like it (dropped) pretty considerably,” Harris told the TV station. “So, several people, including a lady in my row, hit the ceiling of the plane.”
Allegiant told McClatchy News that the plane hit “severe turbulence” before it “landed normally and taxied to the gate under its own power.”
“Airport paramedics met the plane to assess two passengers and two flight attendants for injuries,” the airline wrote in a July 13 email. “They were transported to the hospital for further evaluation. Six additional passengers were assessed by paramedics and released on site.”
Passenger Lisa Spriggs told WFLA the experience was “petrifying.” She said she saw a stewardess hit the ground before rising back up.
“She was literally like matrix,” Spriggs told the TV station. “Watched her go up in the air, and just land straight down. She broke her ankle. Another stewardess in the back broke her ankle, bone was protruding.”
The incident on the flight, which reportedly had 179 passengers and a half-dozen crew members on board, is under investigation.
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is roughly 20 miles west of Tampa.
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 9:20 AM with the headline "‘Severe turbulence’ tosses people into air on plane from NC, injuring 4, reports say."
