Nine hurt as Avianca flight from Medellín hits severe turbulence, diverts to Miami

Diversion after turbulence

Avianca Flight 42 left Medellín, Colombia, at 11:22 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to FlightRadar24, and was scheduled to reach John F. Kennedy International Airport around 5:20 a.m. Friday. The Airbus A320 flew north over Jamaica and Cuba at about 36,000 feet when it "encountered unexpected turbulence," Avianca spokeswoman Reyna Figueroa said in a statement. The aircraft was diverted to Miami and landed at Miami International Airport around 3:25 a.m., according to FlightRadar24, while Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told The Independent the landing took place around 3:30 a.m. NewsIT reported, citing FlightRadar24, that the jet dropped from about 35,000 feet to about 25,000 feet within minutes, but the cause of the altitude change was not established. It was not immediately clear where the turbulence occurred or how long it lasted.

Injuries and emergency response

Figueroa said three cabin crew members and six passengers were injured. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said it transported eight people, one to a trauma center and seven to local hospitals, and officials did not comment on the condition of the injured. Miami International Airport upgraded the incident to a Level 1 mass casualty event because of the number of patients, a designation that typically applies to emergencies involving three to 10 patients, according to The Independent. Video from local stations showed passengers holding ice packs to their heads and being moved on stretchers. Passenger Maria Paula Jimenez said she saw several ambulances waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed.

When we arrived, when we landed, we saw that very close to where we were going to disembark, there were more than five or six ambulances. Seven of them with their lights on as if they were waiting for something.

Replacement flight and investigation

The remaining passengers were loaded onto a replacement aircraft in Miami and reached Kennedy Airport at 10:50 a.m. on Friday. Figueroa said the original aircraft is undergoing the appropriate safety and maintenance inspections. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the incident. Avianca's airport team helped the remaining passengers arrange onward travel to New York City, and the airline said in a statement that it was in contact with the affected passengers and crew members.

The safety of our customers and employees is, and will remain, the foundation of our operations.

Turbulence and the wider pattern

Serious injuries from in-flight turbulence are rare. The International Air Transport Association said the number of turbulence incident reports it received surged more than 25% last year. Last summer, 24 people were taken to hospital after a Delta Air Lines flight encountered turbulence caused by a thunderstorm over Wyoming. The National Transportation Safety Board said passengers and flight attendants were thrown into the ceiling with enough force to crack some interior panels, and at least 20 passengers have since filed lawsuits against Delta, arguing the airline could have avoided the severe weather. The FAA recommends that passengers stay buckled whenever possible to protect against unexpected turbulence.