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6 seriously hurt as Air Canada A319 hits strong turbulence

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  • 6 seriously hurt as Air Canada A319 hits strong turbulence

    Six people suffered serious injuries after their Air Canada flight from Victoria to Toronto encountered turbulence and was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Calgary Thursday morning.

    They are in stable condition but have potentially debilitating neck and spinal injuries, said Calgary EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux. The patients have been taken to three city hospitals.

    Brideaux said three others were assessed at the scene with minor injuries. Earlier reports said 14 people were taken to hospital.

    Flight 190 was en route to Toronto when it was diverted and landed safely in Calgary at 8:30 a.m. MT. An online flight path indicated that the plane appeared to change course south of Grand Forks, B.C.

    Passengers reported a sudden jolt in the air that lasted about 15 seconds.

    "It happened really fast. One side of the plane went up sort of sideways and then came back down," one passenger told CBC News.

    She said she saw her friend, who was among those taken to the hospital, "fly up" and hit the ceiling.

    Crews responded with 19 ambulances after receiving reports of multiple injuries on board the Airbus A319.

    Air Canada has not confirmed the cause for the flight's diversion. Spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said the airline will be doing a full investigation involving the Transportation Safety Board, which is standard procedure.

    "There are a lot of factors when an aircraft is in the air flying," he said, adding he could not speculate on what happened.

    Air Canada's preliminary passenger list indicates the plane was carrying 83 passengers and five crew members.

    The airline also said relatives of those on board who are seeking more information about the flight can get it by calling toll free at 1-800-961-7099.

    Bryce Paton, spokesman for the Calgary Airport Authority, said air traffic control gave priority to the plane's landing but it did not disrupt regular operations at the airport.


    Looks like it was the "Kid's Horizons" c/s on the AC A319. Pretty scarry. I never knew turbulence can be that strong ! Another reasong why I always fly with my seatbelts on for the whole time.

    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...s-landing.html

  • #2
    Originally posted by pkonowrocki
    Another reason why I always fly with my seatbelts on for the whole time.

    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...s-landing.html
    Exactly. The flight crews are required to make those announcements for a reason.

    Same for people who don't wear seatbelts when driving. It baffles me to see the number of deaths that could have been prevented in car accidents if seatbelts were worn.

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    • #3
      Yeah, that's why you are supposed to keep your seat belt fastened while seated . They learned the hard way.

      Also, that's why I usually hold onto the handles below the overhead bins when I'm up waiting for the lav or whatever, in case there is a run in with turbulence, not sure if it would do much, but better than nothing, and that's why they put the handles in.

      Looks like it was the "Kid's Horizons" c/s on the AC A319. Pretty scarry. I never knew turbulence can be that strong ! Another reasong why I always fly with my seatbelts on for the whole time.
      It can, if they were strapped in nothing would have happened. All that it takes is for the plane to drop quickly, and if you aren't strapped in, you'll stay in the same point in space and the ceiling will come down on your head. The seat belt makes sure you go down with the rest of the plane, so you don't "fly up".

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      • #4
        That must've been scary for the pax and crew! I hope everyone will be OK.

        Fly from Buffalo!

        Non-Stop flights to:

        JFK, LGA, BOS, PIT, PHL, IAD, DCA, BWI, CLT, PHX, LAS, EWR, ATL, CVG, DTW, MSP, ORD, MDW, MCO, TPA, BDL, ALB, DFW, CLE, FLL, RSW, ROC

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        • #5
          A few years back a UA plane out of HKG had to go back and two people suffered fatal injuries from the flight. They later talked about weather at different airlines, the UA pilots were not aware of it, but NW pilots were and flew above the turb that killed the people on the UA flight. Either way its a shame.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by pkonowrocki
            Another reasong why I always fly with my seatbelts on for the whole time.
            Same here.

            Cheers.
            TAP - Transportes Aéreos Portugueses

            Voe mais alto. Fly higher.

            www.flytap.com

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            • #7
              I've heard rumours that it was actually a flight computer that failed. Only rumours mind you and the TSB will have the final say.

              From airwise news...


              Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, confirmed there had been "an incident" aboard the flight, but a spokesman could not comment on the cause.
              It makes you wonder when they are not saying anything... You would think if it was turbulence they would outright state so....

              ~BoB

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Da-BoB
                I've heard rumours that it was actually a flight computer that failed. Only rumours mind you and the TSB will have the final say.
                ~BoB
                Exactly, only rumours. Until the flight data recorder has been read and the crew fully interviewed there will not be any explanation because it would be just more speculation.

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                • #9
                  Now let's wait for lawsuits against Air Canada :P

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                  • #10
                    Didn't the UAL one out of Hong Kong suddenly drop a couple thousand feet?
                    Tanner Johnson - Owner
                    twenty53 Photography

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Tanner_J
                      Didn't the UAL one out of Hong Kong suddenly drop a couple thousand feet?
                      If I remember correctly, yes. I belive it was headed to SFO at some point in the 90s.
                      sigpic
                      http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=170

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                      • #12
                        In February 1985 a 747SP of China Airlines enroute from Taipei to Los Angeles encountered a clear air turbulence at FL410, followed by a flame-out of No.4 engine and then tumbled down to 9000 feet in a little more than 2 minutes.
                        This incident is a story of its own, but: before this mess happened, the captain switched "Fasten Safety Belts" sign on. Only a passenger and a cabin crew member (out of 274 people on board) had been seriously -but non fatal- injured. A better proof of the effective of safety belts can't be found.


                        get FRA spotting informations here:
                        www.Frankfurt-Aviation-Friends.eu

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                        • #14
                          I've heard (and CBC has reported) that the A319 dropped approx 900 feet and it rocked 35 degrees one direction and then swung to 55 degrees the oppostive direction.

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