Severe mid-air turbulence injures many as Scoot flight loses altitude suddenly

A Scoot flight en route to Guangzhou encountered a turbulent ordeal mid-air, leaving several passengers and crew members injured.

The incident, involving Scoot flight TR100, which departed Singapore at around 5:45 am, saw the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner experience severe turbulence as it approached Guangzhou. However, despite the harrowing experience, the aircraft managed to land safely at 9:10 am.

“We can confirm that four passengers and three crew members received medical assistance immediately upon arrival in Guangzhou. As at Sept 6, 8.30pm local time, one passenger was hospitalized for further observation,” stated Scoot.

Scoot emphasized that the welfare of its passengers and crew is its top priority and assured that it will provide all necessary support and assistance. The airline did not disclose the total number of passengers and crew on the flight.

This incident comes in the wake of another severe turbulence event involving a Singapore Airlines flight in May, which tragically resulted in one fatality and thirty injuries.

In that instance, the Boeing 777-300 ER was compelled to make an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Singapore Airlines stated that flight SQ321 was traveling between London Heathrow and Singapore.

Turbulence during descent into Guangzhou

The Singapore-based low-cost airline clarified that the Clear Air Turbulence occurred during the plane’s descent into Guangzhou at an altitude of approximately 20,000 feet. This led to an abrupt drop in both altitude and speed before the aircraft could regain its original flight path.

Photos shared by Singapore Chinese news outlet 8world show airport emergency personnel using a stretcher to transport a passenger out of the cabin, while two crew members, a man and a woman, were seen in wheelchairs.

Just a day prior, on September 5th, a Turkish Airlines flight traveling from Istanbul to Taipei encountered severe turbulence, as reported by the British tabloid The Mirror. Two of the 17 crew members and five of the 214 passengers sustained injuries, with two individuals requiring hospitalization.

In a separate incident on August 28, a United Airlines flight from Mexico was diverted to Memphis, Tennessee, due to severe turbulence, resulting in one person being hospitalized, NBC News reported.

Study reveals turbulence-related accidents as most common type

A recent study cited by the BBC found that aircraft encounter moderate to severe turbulence around 68,000 times each year.

According to a 2021 study by the National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence-related accidents are the most common type.

Between 2009 and 2018, the agency found that turbulence was responsible for over a third of reported airline accidents. The majority of these incidents resulted in serious injuries, but fortunately, no aircraft damage.