Last week, a severe turbulence led to a death and many injured in a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore, sparking conversations about turbulence.
Yesterday (26 May), 12 passengers travelling aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland sustained injuries during a turbulence incident.
However, despite the turbulence, the flight landed safely and on schedule.
Here’s what happened.
Flight QR017
Dublin Airport reported that Flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, had hit a turbulence on 26 May 2024.
According to Irish broadcaster RTE, passengers recounted that the turbulence lasted less than 20 seconds, coinciding with the onboard food and drinks service.
A passenger said that his dinner was disrupted, and his shorts were torn off his lap during the incident. Another passenger said she experienced a brief dip in the plane’s trajectory and witnessed a flight attendant being momentarily lifted off the ground.
The plane touched down shortly before 1 pm local time. Emergency services, including airport police and fire and rescue teams, were on standby as the plane arrived.
Six passengers and six crew members reported injuries resulting from the turbulence encountered over Turkey while the aircraft was airborne.
In response to the incident, Qatar Airways stated that a “small number” of passengers and crew suffered minor injuries and were receiving medical attention. The airline did not comment directly on the turbulence incident but assured that it was conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
The incident occurred just five days after another turbulence-related incident involving a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore, which led to an emergency landing in Bangkok.
Tragically, the severe turbulence during that flight led to the death of a 73-year-old British man and left 20 others in intensive care.
The plane has since arrived in Singapore.
You can watch this video for more information:
Despite it being common, turbulence-related accidents remain a prevalent concern in aviation safety, as highlighted by a 2021 study conducted by the US National Transportation Safety Board.
According to the study, turbulence accounts for over a third of reported airline accidents from 2009 to 2018, resulting in numerous serious injuries but typically causing no aircraft damage.