Emergency landing in Florida Airbus plummets over 5000 meters - at least 15 injured
For reasons as yet unexplained, a Jetblue A320 lost more than 5,000 meters of altitude within a few minutes and had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida. At least 15 people were slightly injured.
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- A Jetblue A320 plummeted over 5,000 meters in just a few minutes and had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.
- According to the fire department in Tampa, 15 to 20 people were taken to hospital.
- The cause of the incident is still unclear.
For reasons as yet unexplained, a Jetblue aircraft lost 5000 meters of altitude within a few minutes.
The Airbus A320 was on its way from the Mexican coastal city and vacation destination Cancún to Newark in the US state of New Jersey when the aircraft suddenly lost altitude and was ultimately diverted to Tampa in the US state of Florida.
"Laceration to the head"
It was initially uncertain how many people were injured. Recordings of the radio traffic on the website LiveATC.net showed the radio message: "We have at least three people injured. It looks like someone has a laceration on their head."
Meanwhile, local media reported, citing the Tampa Fire Department, that around 15 to 20 people had been taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The airline itself did not provide any information on the number of injured.
According to JetBlue, passengers and crew members were medically examined at the airport after landing before some were taken to hospitals for further treatment. The Airbus A320 was taken out of service for an inspection. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also announced that it is investigating the incident.
Danger due to turbulence
There have already been a number of serious incidents due to turbulence or sudden loss of altitude in the USA this year.
For example, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a Delta Air Lines flight in July from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam that experienced severe turbulence. 25 people were injured and the flight was diverted to Minneapolis.
However, one serious incident in particular caused a stir last year. A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 hit severe turbulence during a flight from London to Singapore. One passenger died and 53 others were injured, seven of them seriously.
