After experiencing “severe turbulence” on a Monday journey from Ecuador to Florida, eight passengers on board a JetBlue flight were sent to the hospital, the airline reported.
Flying from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to Fort Lauderdale, Flight 1256 “experienced sudden severe turbulence as it neared Florida,” according to a statement from JetBlue.
According to JetBlue, the plane landed without incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where medical personnel received the passengers.
According to JetBlue, seven passengers and one member of the crew were sent to the hospital for testing and care. They didn’t give any more information concerning their circumstances.
JetBlue claimed that the aircraft had been taken out of service for inspection.
The flight landed on schedule just before 5:30 a.m. ET, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
It does happen occasionally for commercial flights to hit turbulent skies and cause injuries.
After a Delta Air Lines flight encountered severe turbulence in August, at least 11 passengers had to be hospitalized.
Four passengers on an Allegiant aircraft from North Carolina to Florida in July suffered injuries as a result of turbulence.
A Lufthansa flight in March that was headed from Texas to Germany was diverted due to “significant turbulence”. Hospitalized were seven persons.