FLASH
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Andrew Davies, project manager for the "Doctor Who" exhibition, was traveling to New Zealand when he saw something he would remember for the rest of his life.
His flight from London to Singapore was initially smooth. But then, the plane was hit by extreme turbulence.
"I felt like I was on a rollercoaster – and then, all of a sudden, we fell. The iPad hit my head and everything else went flying. It was total chaos," Davies said.
Tragically, another passenger, Geoff Kitchen, 73, died of a heart attack during the incident. Authorities report that there have been around four turbulence-related deaths since 1981 – but the number is likely higher.
In the US alone, since 2009 there have been over 200 serious turbulence injuries due to the number of crew members who were standing during the shaking.
The most frequent and strongest turbulences
Experts warn that climate change is making the atmosphere more unstable. Paul Williams, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, says: “For every 10 minutes of severe turbulence we have today, we could have 20 to 30 minutes in the future.”
Rising temperatures, changing its structure, and the increase in storm clouds (cumulonimbus) are key elements that are increasing the incidence of turbulence in clear air.
The difficult North Atlantic route
Severe turbulence is defined as when the up-and-down motions of an airplane passing through turbulent air exert more than 1.5 g of force on your body – enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
Estimates show that each year there are about 5,000 incidents of severe or greater turbulence, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.
Of the serious injuries sustained by passengers flying throughout 2023 – almost 40% – were caused by turbulence, according to the annual safety report from the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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