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Northwest flight hits extreme turbulence, injures 9

by Jeffrey White (RSS feed) on Jan 23rd 2009 at 3:30PM

Nine out of 10 times, when the captain turns on the fasten seat belt sign, citing turbulence, it's no big thing, right? A few bumps, maybe a spilled drink, and then the plane pulls out of it.

But turbulence is no joke, as passengers on a Northwest Airlines flight yesterday from Tokyo to Honolulu know.

The flight encountered extreme turbulence over Midway Island and the result was nine injuries, including a flight attendant and two passengers who are currently hospitalized for back, neck and head injuries sustained during the flight.

The Associated Press is reporting that the flight attendant is in serious but stable condition, but the condition of the hospitalized passengers is still unclear.

Also unclear is exactly what happened: Was the turbulence unexpected? How long did it last?

The Northwest flight carried 285 passengers.

Filed under: Airlines

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Robert Teague Jan 23rd 2009 6:53PM

Unfortunately, this happens pretty regulary on this route.

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