Turbulence Injuries

[DARE]

Read stories about air passengers injured during turbulence on their flight. A lot of times does not specify how the injuries occurred. Have read about passengers hitting the ceiling of the aircraft. My guess is that is normally how the injuries occur. On flights I have been on the captain comes on the intercom and says we might get some turbulence and he has turned on the seat belt light and folks should use their seatbelts. I think the injuries occur when people do not use their seatbelts. Maybe the stewardesses should go around and make people use them.
If you have your seat belt on I don't see how you can get injured.

 

[dockmurgw]

Turbulence is the only part of flying that I enjoy but never experienced anything like what was reported. I also never ignore the fasten seat belt sign, and very rarely use the rest room. I'm always surprised by the amount of people that walk around when they shouldn't and sit unbelted.

 

[ladder13]

I am always belted in when the sign is lit up. Amazing how many people line up for the bathrooms when the plane is in its descent and the fasten seat belt sign is on. Almost as if they were waiting for the Captain to declare “flight attendants prepare the cabin for landing.”

 

[LVSteve]

I’m waiting for somebody who has flown British Airways or Air France to pipe up. The cabin crew of both carriers have one rule, you’re not getting hurt on their flight, so wandering about or sitting unbelted when the light is on will get you a public reprimand. My wife and I are always belted in pretty snug unless we have to use the restroom.

Former boss was on a BA flight from London that 20 minutes after takeoff entered the first of a series of Atlantic storms that didn’t let up until the descent into Atlanta. Obviously nobody was going to hold it for the duration of the flight, but the cabin crew were very eagle eyed on any dawdlers going to the restroom. Boss said the belt light only went off with engine shutdown.

 

[ladder13]

^^^^ yep, pretty much belted in even when the light is off. It helped about a hour before Phoenix last fall when the plane banked quickly and dropped suddenly without warning. That woke up a bunch of folks.

 

[DARE]

Anyone have first hand knowledge of a turbulence injury?

 

[LVSteve]

Anyone have first hand knowledge of a turbulence injury?

First hand, no. A different former boss to the one above was flying to Italy from the UK when the plane gave a mighty jolt as they were serving drinks and snacks. He found himself covered in OJ the stewardess was about to give to someone a row ahead. When she came down she twisted her ankle as she had small heels on. The other stewardess hit the roof and was a bit concussed. That was the end of drinks and snacks for that flight.

I believe these are pretty typical injuries, with others caused when a loose passenger lands on somebody else elbow first or such like.

 

[lihpster]

It isn't just people bouncing off things. it's also things bouncing off people. You're strapped in, but is your laptop?

 

[BARgunner]

I flew quite a bit when I was young and early on developed the habit of always being belted in during flights except for trips to the head. I was on a BOAC Comet from Rome to Madrid during the summer of 1968 when we experienced an unexpected drop in altitude. The plane was mostly filled with people coming back from a tour of the Holy Lands and there were quite a few women with younger children aboard. The flight attendants were mostly done handing out lunch when the plane fell several thousand feet (according to the Captain). Every bit of food hit the ceiling of the aircraft along with a bunch of people. When we hit bottom all of it hit the floor and seat tops. The person in the seat next to me landed in the aisle next to me. There was a brief moment of complete silence followed by utter chaos accompanied by the almost unimaginable wailing and screaming which seemed as if it would never stop. In reality it didn’t because it went on to a lesser degree until we landed and deplaned which took forever because of all the people they hauled off with medical assistance.
My brother met me at the airport and those were the days when you could meet people out on the tarmac. When I finally got off and met my brother he was astounded by how everybody looked getting off. Everybody was splattered with food and drinks not to mention the injured passengers. My brother was an aviation enthusiast and told me how lucky we were because according to him, the Comet had wing structure problems due to how the engines were mounted at the root of the wings. It was an experience I wouldn’t want to experience again and I’ve never forgotten how loud the screaming and crying was.

 

[fordson]

If you are unbelted during those situations of turbulent, unstable air, you will get hurt. If your belt is on loose, you may not get hurt as badly. If your belt is worn properly, there is a very good chance you will not get hurt at all. Wear your belt at all times, even when the belt light is off. Turbulent air is not always predictable.

 

[Retired W4]

Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), unless previously reported by another flight crew is insidious and can be very violent, where turbulence around thunder storms is expected and precautions are taken. One thing is for certain. The two pilots will always have, as a minimum, their lap belts secure and shoulder harness secured during critical phases of flight. Flying is serious business, but some want to treat it as a walk in the park.

 

[JRD]

I have no air liner turbulence stories different than anyone else but have a small plane story. Not an injury but something that smarted for a while.
In a Cessna Caravan charter flight to a remote Alaskan air strip in a moose hunt, I was strapped in properly but there wasn’t much room above my head to the cabin roof. I was wearing a baseball cap that had the traditional button at its center.
We hit a few violent “bumps” going through a mountain pass. The top of my head hit the ceiling once, which wouldn’t have been that bad if the force was spread across my whole head- but the button on my ball cap put all the force in once spot.
It smarted for a while but fortunately didn’t leave a dent in my noggin. I took my ball cap for the rest of the flight but we didn’t hit any more bumps.
Not related to turbulence, but it was first time I flew where they didn’t care about my holstered pistol or knives but made darn sure I stepped on a scale at the check in to know exactly how much I weighed.
I can see how an airliner hitting bumps and throwing unbuckled people and service carts around could cause severe injuries.

 

[NYlakesider]

^^^

I am always belted in when the sign is lit up. Amazing how many people line up for the bathrooms when the plane is in its descent and the fasten seat belt sign is on. Almost as if they were waiting for the Captain to declare “flight attendants prepare the cabin for landing.”

I learned long ago to belt in.
As far as hitting the restrooms, if you take "water pills" you many times have to do what you got to do.

 

[Marine Corps Air]

Turbulence Injuries​

It depends on the type and severity of the turbulence.

There is turbulence associated with violent weather, thunderstorms, etc. There is also turbulence associated with wind shears, downdrafts, etc. And then there is "CAT" (Clear Air Turbulence). All will vary with their severity. Back in the day Air Traffic Control (ATC) would keep us advised if they were not busy. Other pilots and aircrew often reported CAT to ATC. When 747s were flying they could create turbulence and I would hear ATC use a call sign "American Airlines Heavy". Your best defense is not to mill around in the cabin and keep your seat belt fastened from takeoff to taxiing up to the gate. Yes, pilots do sometimes hit the brakes to avoid a ground collision.

Another huge risk is flying objects in the cabin. I watch far too many people place heavy luggage, that should have been checked but they're too lazy, in the overhead bins. If there is an unplanned, rapid change in altitude (or aircraft attitude) the latches on the overhead bins will fail. The outcome could be fatal.

Cheers.

Bill

 

[tlawler]

I fly quite a bit for work, but have never witnessed any turbulence worse than scattering some items and a couple overhead bins popping open. I limit what I eat and drink before a flight, so it’s rare that I get up to use the head. I always get a window seat so I don’t have to unbelt to let someone by. Just remember that if the plane instantly drops a couple hundred feet, you will as well, but only if you’re belted in securely.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

My very first time on an Airliner - Memphis to Birmingham on a Connie.
The Recruiting NCO who gave us the vouchers told us, they will serve Lunch.
I think the turbulence started on takeoff!
Folks were air sick and puking!
So when we asked the Stewardess ‘Where’s that lunch?’
She replied you really want lunch?
Yes! The Sergeant said lunch.
Those seats didn’t have fold down trays, she handed us pillows then put the trays on them.
We had to hold the tray and pillow with one hand and eat with the other.
We were the only Alabama bound lunch eaters.

 

[Retired W4]

Convective activity (thunderstorms), CAT, wing tip vortices from LARGE aircraft, mountain wave (on the down side) and micro-burst induced extreme wind shear all present dangerous events in any aircraft. To me, low level wind shear is the most dangerous due to the proximity to the ground with little time, and altitude, to react. Pilots and ATC beware. Simulator training in all of the scenarios is a must. I have been retired for 18 years now but the memories of dealing with the phenomenon mentioned above are fresh in my mind.

 

[Xfuzz]

Never been on a bird....nor do I ever plan to do so....

 

[olfart]

My best learning experience with turbulence and seatbelts came in August of 1957 at the age of 16. I had soloed the previous week in an Aeronca 7AC and was in my first post-solo flight. Shortly after takeoff from the dirt runway I noticed an unusual sound from the belly of the plane, a random 'thump.... thump'. Shortly thereafter I banged my head on the ceiling of the cabin and realized the noise was the buckle of my seatbelt outside the airplane. Having a total flight time of 8 hours and a few minutes, I found myself on climbout from the airport at less than 500' altitude and needing to open the door to retrieve my seatbelt AND fasten it while flying the plane. Fortunately the turbulence relented long enough for me to accomplish that, but it taught me a valuable lesson, one that even carries over to driving a car today.

 

[swsig]

I've flown over a quarter of a million miles, and I've always kept my seatbelt on, even though I've never experienced the level of turbulence that would cause people to be thrown against the overhead. Why passengers don't stay belted is a mystery to me, as turbulence can strike at any time without warning. People who fly unbelted reveal themselves as rank amateur flyers. There's apparently too many of them these days, which is another reason I don't fly any more.

My sister experienced the worst turbulence that happened to someone I know. In the mid-1960s, her high school band from San Diego won a contest that earned them a halftime performance at an NFL game in Miami. They crammed all 100 or so kids and a couple of chaperones into a charter DC-7, and flew them at a relatively low, turbulence-likely altitude. The cabin crew first fed the kids, but they hit turbulence shortly thereafter. It didn't let up as they crossed New Mexico and Texas. The kids started throwing up, throwing up, and then throwing up some more. One boy sitting near my sister filled up three barf bags. Somewhere over Texas, they ran out of barf bags. Subsequently, the cabin became strewn with vomit. It was like something out of a Monty Python sketch! Except it wasn't particularly funny at the time to those involved. The plane had to make an emergency landing in New Orleans, where some unfortunate ground crew personnel spent a couple of hours cleaning the cabin. Interestingly, all the school officials and teachers going to the game took a regularly scheduled non-stop flight on a 707. They flew in high-altitude turbulence-free comfort, of course!