At Least Nine Injured On Turbulent WestJet Flight
Posted September 6, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
What one passenger described as a “thousand-foot drop” literally and metaphorically shook the contents of a WestJet flight Thursday night, and at least nine passengers were injured during extreme turbulence on the flight from Calgary to Halifax.
The plane touched down safely at Halifax Stanfield International Airport shortly where it was met by seven ambulances before 7:30pm, and according to a number of passengers on Flight 80, somewhere between Sudbury, Ont., and Quebec City the flight’s captain came on the intercom to warn of turbulence.
Seconds later, shocked witnesses recall, the plane dropped straight down.
Reports suggest many didn’t have the time needed to fasten their seatbelts, resulting in several hitting their heads on the plane’s roof. Those walking in the aisle or waiting by the bathroom were thrown to the floor and around the plane. A pair of nurses on board helped tend to various injuries once the plane was righted, and many passengers complained of back and neck pain.
The plane was flying at an altitude of about 39,000 feet about 330 kilometres north of Sudbury when it hit turbulence, said WestJet spokesman Richard Bartrem.
“It’s what we would call moderate turbulence,” Bartrem said. “It’s just that it’s a little bumpier,” he said. In moderate turbulence, “the plane’s going to get bounced around a little bit.”
Still, most passengers described the turbulence as a single drop, well beyond what they considered normal.
The incident will not have to be reported to the Transportation Safety Board because the pilot did not declare a medical emergency.
