Ekstrem turbulens skadet 30 - ASN / CNN

 

Siden 2015 har jeg skrevet flere ganger her på bloggen, om stadig økende tilfeller av turbulenshendelser. Også i rapporten etter AF447 ulykken i 2009, fremkom det at i det såkalte konveksjonsbeltet i Midt Atlanteren var det "uryddige flyforhold" relatert til ising og turbulens. Vi ser at  "Mother Earth" er sint og skaper stadig flere ekstreme værforhold som luftfarten må takle. Værradarer som viser vertikale luftstrømmer bør være et "must" i de store flyene. (Red.)

Date:	Monday 1 July 2024
Time:	04:25 UTC
Type:	Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Owner/operator:	Air Europa
Registration:	EC-MTI
MSN:	62169/674
Year of manufacture:	2018
Engine model:	Rolls Royce Corporation TRENT 1000-D3
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 325
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Accident
Location:	NE of Natal, Brazil -    Atlantic Ocean
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD/LEMD)
Destination airport:	Montevideo-Carrasco Airport (MVD/SUMU)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Air Europa flight UX45, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, encountered turbulence while en route over the Atlantic Ocean at FL360 on a flight from Madrid Airport (MAD), Spain, to Montevideo (MVD), Uruguay.
The flight crew elected to divert to Natal, Bazil, were the aircraft landed at 05:32 UTC.

The medical service reported that it treated at least 30 passengers; more than 10 of them were taken to the hospital.
Two patients were reported to be in a more serious condition.

The exact position of the incident is unclear. ADS-B data show a dip in altitude to 35688 feet at 04:26 UTC while the aircraft was 785 km northeast of Natal. But this is not confirmed to be the incident position.

‘We thought we were going to die.’ Thirty injured as ‘strong turbulence’ forces Air Europa Boeing plane to land in Brazil

By Zahid Mahmood and Abel Alvarado, CNN

 3 minute read 

Updated 6:26 PM EDT, Mon July 1, 2024

 

Air Europa said the flight was forced to land in Brazil after being hit by 'strong turbulence.' 

Courtesy Pichi Pastosa

CNN — 

Thirty passengers were injured after a flight from Madrid to Uruguay was hit by “strong turbulence” and had to make an emergency landing in Brazil, Spanish airline Air Europa said on Monday.

“Our flight UX045 bound for Montevideo has been diverted to the Natal airport (in Brazil) due to strong turbulence,” Air Europa said in a post on X.

“The plane has landed normally and those who sustained different types of injuries are already being treated.”

The aircraft hit by turbulence was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. The plane has the capacity to hold up to 339 passengers, according to Air Europa’s website.

 

Damage on the inside of the plane that was forced to land in Brazil after turbulence. 

Courtesy Pichi Pastosa

“From one moment to the next, the plane destabilized and went into a dive. The people who didn’t have seat belts went up in the air and hit the ceiling, and they got hurt – those who had seat belts on, not so much,” one of the passengers, Maximiliano, told Reuters.

Another passenger, Stevan, told the news agency: “There are passengers with fractures and injuries to their arms, faces, and legs. There are about 30 people injured. It was a pretty horrible feeling; we thought we were going to die there, but thank God it didn’t happen.”

The Spanish airline said that another plane was set to depart later on Monday from Madrid and pick up the passengers stranded in Brazil to continue their journey to Uruguay.

Air Europa added that anyone who is in need of healthcare is being treated in Brazil’s Natal International Airport.

The news comes as the latest development in a string of bad publicity for the airplane manufacturer Boeing.

While there’s no evidence so far that the injuries on the Air Europa flight had anything to do with a safety malfunction, Boeing has recently faced a series of whistleblowers alleging safety issues at the company.

Just last week, a whistleblower came forward alleging parts of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner planes were built in an unsafe manner – potentially leading to “devastating consequences.” A previous whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, said he found and reported similar gaps in 787 and 777 aircraft.

For nearly two years starting in 2021, the FAA and Boeing halted deliveries of the new Dreamliners while it looked into the gaps. Boeing said it made changes in its manufacturing process and deliveries ultimately resumed.

More than a dozen whistleblowers have come forward against Boeing in recent years, and the number has grown substantially since a door plug blew off a 737 Max plane in January just after takeoff, leaving a gaping hole in the side the plane.

The FAA has opened multiple investigations into Boeing and the US Department of Justice said it may file criminal charges against the company because of its ongoing quality and safety failures.

CNN’s Gabe Cohen, David Goldman and Gregory Wallace contributed reporting.