Several people were hospitalized Friday morning after a New York City-bound flight from Colombia was diverted to Miami International Airport due to severe turbulence, according to officials.
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Avianca Flight 42 departed from Medellín and was en route to John F. Kennedy International Airport when it encountered unexpected turbulence, a spokesperson for the airline said in statement. It was diverted to Miami “as a precautionary measure and in accordance with the airline’s safety protocols” and “landed safely” at 3:30 a.m. Friday, the statement added.
The airline said three crew members and six passengers were impacted, though the extent of their injuries were not known.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said they responded to “multiple patients injured by turbulence,” and eight people were taken to the hospital by ambulance. NBC6 cameras captured some passengers arriving at the hospital with luggage in tow. Others on stretchers appeared to include a flight attendant still in her uniform and a woman wearing a neck brace.
Cellphone video from inside the plane appears to show people with ice packs on their heads as they’re instructed to keep seat belts on. Passengers who were on the flight recalled the terrifying ordeal.
“We thought it was the end for us,” said Pilar, a passenger on the flight who did not want disclose her last name. “It was incredibly intense — something I’ve never experienced in my life.”
She said there were at least three very strong bouts of turbulence.
Flight data from FlightRadar24 shows the Airbus A320 climbed to around 36,000 feet as it flew over Cuba before making a sharp descent — dropping around 25,000 feet in minutes — about 3 hours into the flight.
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Another passenger, Maria Paula Jimenez, said as the plane was descending toward the airport, she could see a sea of flashing lights on the tarmac.
“There were six or seven ambulances all lit up, and actually, our son said it looked like a light show because there were so many first responders waiting for us,” Jimenez told Telemundo 52.
Avianca said the remaining passengers were being assisted by the airline’s airport team to make necessary arrangements so they can continue their journey to New York City. But for at least one passenger, she’d prefer to return home.
“I don’t want to go out. I only want to go back home,” said fellow passenger Diana, who did not share her last name. “What I can tell you is you value your life so much more when something like that happens.”
Aviance said it remains in contact with the affected passengers and crew members.
“The safety of our customers and employees remains, and will continue to be, the fundamental pillar of our operation,” it added.
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