According to two passengers on the Lufthansa flight that had to make an emergency landing due to “severe turbulence,” the crew ordered passengers to delete all photos and videos of the incident.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The news comes more than a week after severe turbulence forced Lufthansa’s Airbus A330 aircraft to make an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in the United States.
In the field of aviation, turbulence is common. Yet the fact that seven people needed to be taken to the hospital highlights how serious this tragedy was. Pictures of the cabin floor covered in silverware and numerous meal platters soon after the event started to circulate on social media.
According to a report from Simple Flying, some passengers who weren’t buckled up smacked the cabin’s roof. There was “shattered glass” reportedly everywhere, according to other passengers on the aircraft. Another traveller remembered that the plane entered “free fall” in the meantime.
A Lufthansa flight that experienced “significant turbulence” was diverted to Virginia and seven people were taken to hospitals.
Social media footage showed food trays, screens, pillows and other items scattered inside the plane: https://t.co/D2vkkFmhNJ pic.twitter.com/wUOgdiB4XH
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 2, 2023
A flight attendant reportedly ordered over the speaker, “delete all your images and videos,” as the plane descended to land, according to Rolanda Schmidt, one of the injured passengers. The second announcement, according to Ms. Schmidt, suggested that the request was made to safeguard passengers’ privacy.
Another traveler confirmed the request to remove the images. But a few of the pictures ended up on social media. Food, paper, and other detritus could be seen on the cabin floor in the pictures. Matthew McConaughey’s wife Camila Alves, who was also on the flight, posted a video of the incident to her Instagram page.
She stated in the caption: “To respect the privacy of those around me that’s all I am showing but the plane was a CHAOS And the turbulence keep on coming.” She added, “I was told plane dropped almost 4,000 feet, and 7 people went to the hospital. Everything was flying everywhere.”
Image Credit: Twitter/@modermuna
The first of March saw the departure of Lufthansa flight LH469 from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) for Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Germany. The airline’s Airbus A330-300 jet, registered as D-AIKK, encountered unexpectedly significant turbulence above Tennessee/West Virginia about 90 minutes into the journey, forcing it to divert to IAD airport.
FlightAware data shows that after encountering turbulence, the A330-300 dropped from 37,000 feet to 24,000 feet and stayed there before diverting to the IAD airport. The German national airline has not stated what precipitated the turmoil.
Published by HOLR Magazine.