AT least 25 people were injured when a Delta Air Lines flight to Amsterdam made an emergency landing after experiencing violent turbulence.
The flight with 275 passengers and 13 crew members on board was forced to divert to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
The airlines said that 25 of those injured were rushed to the hospital “for evaluation and care.”
The Airbus A33-900 took off from Salt Lake City, Utah and was headed to Europe.
Shortly after takeoff, the plane reportedly encountered severe turbulence, compelling the pilots to cancel the flight and return to land.
Footage showed emergency responders arriving at the tarmac to take those injured to the hospital.
A spokesperson stated: “Delta flight DL56, traveling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on Wednesday after it encountered significant turbulence en route.”
“The aircraft, an Airbus A330-900, landed safely at MSP, and medical personnel met the flight upon arrival to evaluate customers and crew.
“Twenty-five of those on board were transported to local hospitals for evaluation and care.
“We are thankful for the assistance of all emergency responders involved. Safety is our highest priority at Delta, and our Delta Care Team is directly supporting customers to address their immediate needs.”
This incident follows another close call for Delta Air Lines, where a flight carrying 150 passengers narrowly escaped a runway collision when another plane almost landed on top of it during takeoff.
The flight was forced to abort takeoff seconds before the other plane landed directly in front of it.
Delta Flight 590 was departing Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez in Mexico City for Atlanta when AeroMéxico Connect flight 1631 flew above the plane, within 200 feet, on Monday.
As the flight was preparing for takeoff, the crew saw another plane landing on the same runway, CNN reported.
The jet then landed in front of the Delta flight.
After the near-crash, the plane turned back around to the terminal.
The near-crash comes after months of frightening flight incidents popping up across the globe.
In January, an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., killing everyone on board.
US on edge over ‘cluster’ of plane crashes
A SERIES of devastating plane crashes, including the mid-air collision above DC that killed 67, has left Americans terrified of traveling by air.
However, aviation expert and attorney Jason Matzus told The U.S. Sun the crashes can be attributed to “random clustering.”
“Although such incidents are unfortunate, the most likely explanation is ‘random clustering,’ which happens when several crashes occur in a short period, distorting our perception and making us think there’s an upward trend in plane crashes,” Matzus explained.
“When in reality these crashes, despite being so close together, are merely coincidental and not caused by a systemic safety issue.”
The short period Matzus referred to was just a matter of three weeks. The aviation mishaps included:
January 29 – A military helicopter and American Airlines plane collided at the Washington DC airport, killing 67 people
January 31 – An air ambulance carrying a 6-year-old girl and her mom crashed on a street in Philadelphia, killing seven people in total
February 5 – A Japan Airlines flight hit a parked Delta plane at Seattle SeaTac Airport and no one was injured
February 6 – A small commuter plane on its way to Nome, Alaska, crashed killing all 10 people on board
February 10 – Motley Crue singer Vince Neil’s private jet collided with another plane, killing the pilot and injuring four others
February 17 – A Delta plane crashed on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport, miraculously killing no one but injuring 21
February 19 – Two planes collided at Marana Airport in Arizona, killing two people
February 24 – Smoke filled a Delta Airlines flight cabin forcing passengers to evacuate by a slide after making an emergency landing in Atlanta
March 9 – A Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft crashed into a retirement village parking lot in Manheim, Pennsylvania
March 13 – An American Airlines jet engine erupted into flames at the Denver airport, forcing passengers to escape onto the plane’s wing
