The plane dropped 178 feet (54 meters) in less than one second, which “likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne” before falling back down, the
A 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after the
Early findings show that as the plane cruised at about 37,000 feet over southern
The pilots also noticed an uncommanded increase in airspeed, which they tried to check by extending panels called speed brakes, and “a pilot called out that the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on.”
A few seconds later, the plane entered the sharp drop that caused unbelted passengers to come out of their seats before falling back.
“This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers,” the report said.
The pilots disengaged the autopilot to stabilize the plane, the report said, and flew it manually for 21 seconds before going back to autopilot.
The plane made a normal, controlled descent and didn’t encounter further turbulence until it landed in
Passengers have described the “sheer terror” of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and injured people lying paralyzed on the floor of the plane.
Twenty-six people remained hospitalized in
It was unclear what caused the turbulence. Most people associate turbulence with heavy storms, but the most dangerous type is so-called clear air turbulence. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air.
According to a 2021 report by the
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This story has been corrected to show that the sharp drop in altitude caused the changes in gravitational force, not the other way around.
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