Thirty-six passengers on Hawaiian Airlines flight HA35 were injured, eleven of them seriously, during severe turbulence encountered by the aircraft connecting Phoenix to Honolulu.
An eventful flight. This Sunday, December 18, the passengers of flight HA35, coming from Phoenix (UNITED STATES) and bound for Honolulu (Hawaii), of the airline company Hawaiian Airlines, lived a nightmare. Indeed, about 30 minutes before thelanding, the aircraft was hit by strong turbulence. Thirty-six people were injured, eleven of them seriously.
Footage of the incident was posted on social media. On these, we can see the impact of these turbulences. Spilled food, cracked roof or passengers with facial injuries, the flight would have crossed “a storm” which caused such damage, according to NWS meteorologist Genki Kino, relayed by Hawaii News Now.
@devnwins I am NOT the original owner of this video. #fyp #fyporiginal sound – Devon
Carrying 278 passengers, along with 10 crew members, flight HA35 finally landed safely in Honolulu around 10:50 a.m. local time.
According to the airline, “Medical treatment was provided to injured passengers and crew members at theairport“. Others were quickly transported to local hospitals for further care.
(1/2) HA35 from PHX to HNL encountered severe turbulence & landed safely in HNL at 10:50 a.m. today. Medical care was provided to several guests & crewmembers at the airport for minor injuries while some were swiftly transported to local hospitals for further care.
— Hawaiian Airlines (@HawaiianAir) December 19, 2022
For its part, the National Weather Service of the United States (NWS) estimated that the strong turbulence would have occurred at around 11,000 meters above sea level. An investigation was opened, led by the Federal Aviation Administration, to determine the circumstances of the accident.