Four Flight Attendants Injured During United Airlines Flight to Los Angeles
The Boeing 777 encountered sudden turbulence during its descent, prompting an investigation into the cause of the incident.
Four United Airlines flight attendants were injured on Wednesday when their flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles experienced a sudden and severe bout of turbulence. The incident occurred during the final 20 minutes of the flight as the aircraft, a Boeing 777, was descending toward Los Angeles International Airport.
Data from flight-tracking services indicates that the plane experienced a rapid altitude drop of nearly 3,700 feet within a single minute. While the aircraft eventually landed safely at approximately 9 p.m., the event left passengers shaken and necessitated medical attention for the cabin crew members on board.
United Airlines confirmed that no passengers sustained injuries during the flight. However, reports indicate that four flight attendants required medical care, with one individual being hospitalized. Other accounts from passengers noted that at least one crew member appeared to have visible injuries to her head and leg following the turbulence.
In radio communications with air traffic control, the pilot suggested the incident may have been caused by wake turbulence, which occurs when swirling air currents from another aircraft affect a following plane. The pilot stated, "It only lasted a couple of seconds, it felt like wake turbulence, but we're smooth now."
The Federal Aviation Administration notes that wake turbulence can create significant rolling moments that pose risks to both the structural integrity of an aircraft and the safety of those on board. Despite the pilot's assessment, some aviation data sources have pointed out that no other aircraft were immediately visible in the vicinity of the Boeing 777 according to available ADS-B tracking records.
The flight, identified as United 1157, had departed from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport earlier that afternoon with 190 passengers and 10 crew members. The investigation into the exact circumstances surrounding the sudden altitude loss remains ongoing as authorities review the flight data.