A Ryanair plane was forced to turn around mid-flight after an emergency due to air turbulence, with one doctor saying the passengers are ‘lucky to be alive.’
The Boeing 737-8 MAX left Birmingham Airport, heading to Tenerife, Spain on Sunday, December 28, at around 2.50pm, according to The Aviation Herald.
Crew members were reportedly doing cabin service when the plane hit turbulence while flying over Brittany, France.
Some passengers were reportedly injured as the plane did a U-turn, returning to its original airport in the Midlands.
A doctor who was apparently on the plane told Metro: ‘I treated the injured onboard and we are all lucky to be alive.’
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He also told AirLive: ‘The whole thing was like a horror scene with screaming kids and people all around. Luckily, people remained calm and the crew asked for medical help.‘
One passenger described the ordeal to the Express, saying it was ‘like something you see in a horror movie.’
She added that the journey was initially smooth until, out of nowhere, the plane was jerking left and right.
‘It felt like a loss of control, and then we plummeted down, and we were flung out of our seats,’ she told the outlet.
She was not harmed but explained how the incident had ‘traumatised’ her.
A 7700 squawk, a code to signal a general emergency, was issued by the plane’s pilots.
The plane landed back on UK soil around one hour and 32 minutes after it originally departed.
After returning to Birmingham, passengers were given medical assistance and the flight set off again at 9.06pm.
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: ‘We were made aware of the aircraft returning to BHX and initiated the normal operating procedures to support Ryanair.’
A Ryanair spokesperson added: ‘FR1121 from Birmingham to Tenerife on 28th December returned to Birmingham Airport shortly after take-off due to air turbulence.
‘The aircraft landed normally before passengers disembarked and returned to the terminal, where a small number of passengers were provided with medical assistance. This flight continued to Tenerife at 21:06 local that same day.’
What is air turbulence?
For a plane to fly stably and smoothly, the airflow passing over and under the aircraft’s wings needs to be regular.
When the airflow is disrupted, turbulence occurs, which can cause the plane to suddenly shake.
Turbulence can also cause a sudden loss of altitude temporarily.
While some turbulence can be mild, some can also be violent, which is why pilots inform passengers to fasten their seatbelts if this happens.
Fastening seatbelts ensures that, when violent turbulence occurs, passengers are not thrown out of their seats.
Although turbulence does not directly cause a plane crash, it commonly creates panic among passengers.
Source: Pegasus
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