The future of flight: turbulence?
Three incidents in the past week have involved turbulence-a Lufthansa flight from Texas to Germany, a private jet in Connecticut, and a Condor Airbus flying from Frankfurt to Mauritius.
Why have so many planes been encountering turbulence lately, and should we be concerned about the future?
The first event concerning a turbulence incident involved a Lufthansa Airbus A330-300. On Wednesday, March 1, it took off from Austin International Airport (AUS) to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) with 172 passengers and 12 crew members onboard. Troubles occurred around 90 minutes into the 10-hour flight. Lufthansa flight 469 was cruising at a flight level of 37,000 feet when severe turbulence experienced over Tennessee caused the aircraft to descend to 27,000 feet and caused it to be diverted to Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC (geographically located in Virginia). First responders boarded the airbus after it landed, and seven people were transported to hospitals, according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson Michael Cabbage. One passenger told the Washington Post, “Food went flying into the air, hitting and even damaging the ceiling of the plane,” adding that “the person sitting in front of them was heavily bleeding and had to be taken off the aircraft in a wheelchair.” A Lufthansa spokesperson said in a statement that the cause was clear air turbulence.
also on Wednesday, Condor Airbus A330-900 flying from Frankfurt (FRA) to Port Louis Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport in Mauritius (MRU) on Wednesday, March 1. Flight DE2314 experienced severe turbulence 9 hours into its 11-hour flight. There were 272 passengers and 13 crew onboard. The aircraft landed safely at MRU’s runway 14; however, the turbulence caused injuries to 20 passengers. The aircraft cabin sustained ‘unspecified damage, which required further assessment.
A third incident with a private business jet experienced significant turbulence over New England. On the afternoon of Friday, March 3, the Bombardier Challenger 300 had five people aboard, three passengers, and two crewmembers. The aircraft was diverted to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, at about 4 pm when the pilot declared an emergency. The plane took off from Keene, New Hampshire, bound for Leesburg, Virginia. The jet is owned by Conexon, a company based in Kansas City, Missouri, that brings high-speed internet to rural communities. Unfortunately, one of the passengers lost their life. Another person was taken to a hospital, according to Connecticut state police. The NTSB has launched an investigation into the ‘rare passenger death.’
The Washington Post published an article that discussed the topic of turbulence in depth. According to the article written by Scott Dance, the warming of the earth is increasing the risk of bumpy flights. At different altitudes, the atmosphere influences winds. According to Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, global warming is causing more turbulence. A research paper he co-authored in 2019 found it to be the case on a busy aviation route over the North Atlantic. The research concluded that a property known as wind shear, the degree to which wind speeds vary at different altitudes, has increased by 15 percent since 1979. When wind shear is high, differences in wind speed create atmospheric disturbances, much like rippling. Turbulence accounted for 37.6 % of all accidents on commercial airlines from 2009 to 2018, according to a 2021 NTSB report. The flight crew had no warning in about 28% of turbulence-related accidents. The FAA reported 122 serious injuries due to turbulence over the same period.
From 1980 to 2008, U.S. airlines reported 298 serious injuries due to turbulence and three fatalities. The FAA said t“at least 2 of the three fatalities involved passengers who were not wearing their seat belts while the seat belt sign was illuminated.” Turbulence costs airlines a great deal of money, over $500 million yearly in damages and delays. Researchers and the aviation industry are working to improve the prediction of turbulence. The FAA states that it encourages airlines to improve the training around the risks of turbulence. Currently,
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