Severe turbulence injures at least eight on Avianca flight, forcing diversion to Miami
In short
At least eight people were injured early Friday when Avianca Flight 42 from Medellín, Colombia, to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport hit severe turbulence and diverted to Miami, landing around 3:30 a.m. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said eight people were injured, one of whom was taken to a trauma center, while Avianca said nine people, three crew members and six passengers, were hurt. The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News Miami it would investigate.
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At least eight people were injured early Friday when Avianca Flight 42, travelling from Medellín, Colombia, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, encountered severe turbulence and diverted to Miami International Airport. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the plane, an Airbus A320, landed safely around 3:30 a.m.; other reports put the landing shortly after 3 a.m. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Accounts of the number of injured differ. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said one person was rushed to a trauma center with severe injuries while seven others were taken to area hospitals in ambulances, and a Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that eight people were hospitalized. Avianca said nine people, three crew members and six passengers, were hurt and needed to be taken to a medical facility. The Associated Press reported nine hurt in an English-language headline and eight injured in a Spanish-language one. CBS News said the extent of the injuries is unknown. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
The New York Post reported that the plane left Medellín at 10:40 p.m. local time Thursday and climbed to around 35,000 feet as it flew over Jamaica and Cuba. About two and a half hours into the flight it made a sharp descent of 25,000 feet in a matter of minutes, according to FlightRadar24 data cited by the newspaper, before landing in Miami. The Post said it is unclear how many passengers and crew were on board. [ 2 ]
Passenger Maria Paula Jimenez told CBS News Miami in Spanish that there were "more than five or six ambulances" close to where passengers were to disembark, adding: "When we arrived, well, you know, it wasn't normal." Video seen by NBC6 appears to show passengers with ice packs on their heads while being instructed to stay seated, the New York Post reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Avianca said passengers who were not hurt were rebooked to continue their trip to New York, and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesperson said they departed for JFK at 8:15 a.m. The airline said "the safety of our customers and employees is, and will remain, the foundation of our operations." The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News Miami it would investigate the incident. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Serious injuries from in-flight turbulence are rare, but scientists say they may be becoming more common as climate change alters the jet stream, several outlets reported. The International Air Transport Association said the number of turbulence incident reports it received rose 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 FAA recommends that passengers stay buckled whenever possible. [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The incident put several crew members and passengers in hospital and prompted an FAA investigation, according to CBS News. Several outlets noted that serious turbulence injuries are rare but that scientists say they may become more common as climate change alters the jet stream, and that the International Air Transport Association reported a rise of more than 25% in turbulence incident reports last year.
Key facts
- Avianca Flight 42 was flying from Medellín, Colombia, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when it diverted to Miami because of severe turbulence. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The aircraft was an Airbus A320. [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Officials put the landing in Miami around 3:30 a.m. on Friday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said eight people were injured, one of whom was taken to a trauma center. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Avianca said nine people, three crew members and six passengers, were hurt. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The New York Post, citing FlightRadar24 data, reported that the plane descended 25,000 feet in a matter of minutes before landing in Miami. [ 2 ]
- Avianca said uninjured passengers were flown to New York on Friday morning; a Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesperson said they departed at 8:15 a.m. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News Miami that it would investigate the incident. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Avianca's flight from Medellín to New York's JFK airport diverted to Miami after encountering severe turbulence. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The plane landed in Miami around 3:30 a.m. on Friday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said one injured person was taken to a trauma center. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Avianca said nine people, including three crew members, were hurt. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 ]
- The aircraft was an Airbus A320. [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Passengers who were not hurt continued their journey to New York. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- The exact number of people injured. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department gave eight, while Avianca said nine; the Associated Press reported nine in an English headline and eight in a Spanish one.
- How seriously the passengers and crew were hurt. CBS News reported that the extent of the injuries is unknown, beyond one person taken to a trauma center.
- How many passengers and crew were on board. The New York Post said this was unclear.
- The size of the descent. Only the New York Post reported a 25,000-foot descent, citing FlightRadar24 data.
- The exact landing time. Officials cited by several outlets said around 3:30 a.m., while other reports said shortly after 3 a.m.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Avianca flight left Medellín on Thursday night, local time, according to the New York Post. [ 2 ]
- The plane landed in Miami after the turbulence, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- CBS News reported eight people hospitalized and an FAA investigation. [ 1 ]
- The remaining passengers departed for JFK, a Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesperson said. [ 3 ]
- The Associated Press reported nine people hurt. [ 4 ]