FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Fla. (WSVN) — A flight heading to Pittsburgh from the Dominican Republic was diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after it flew into heavy turbulence, Thursday afternoon, injuring seven people on board.
According to Allegiant Airlines, flight 7001, a charter plane, had departed from the Punta Cana International Airport and was headed to Pittsburgh International Airport when, at around 1:37 p.m., it hit a pocket of air known as clear turbulence, which occurs when the skies are clear and there is no indication of bad weather.
Passengers on board the Airbus A319 described the chaos inside the cabin. "It started with a couple of little bumps," said a male passenger.
A woman who was on board said the aircraft abruptly lost altitude. "The plane just dropped. It was like it nosedived," she said. "It just dropped out from underneath of us."
"Some things just started flying," said Amanda Kuhn, who was on the flight with her parents.
"The two attendants in the back, their faces got smashed," said the male passenger. "One got a really cut nose, a big forehead."
Cellphone video captured a jumble of people crouched over the injured, some of whom were holding their heads. "It was really, really scary," said a woman.
Kuhn said she initially thought the plane was going down. "People were praying and just, like, that’s the only thing we could do at that point," she said.
The flight landed safely in Fort Lauderdale at 2:43 p.m. Emergency medical personnel met the plane and tended to the passengers and crew. Cellphone video shows passengers on board the aircraft greeting the responding paramedics with applause.
Four flight attendants and three passengers were hurt. Five of these people had to be taken to the hospital with bumps, bruises and cuts. Some suffered minor injuries while others had to be taken to the hospital to get checked out.
"Those injuries range from bruises to lacerations, facial fractures and head injuries. The most serious is one of the flight attendants. However, none of the injuries are life-threatening," said Mike Jachles of the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.
There were 137 passengers and six crew members on board.
Passengers who were not injured were cleared through customs and waited to re-board to continue on to Pittsburgh. They left FLL at around 8:30 p.m.