Most travelers have experienced a little turbulence when flying — but don’t take it lightly. Twelve passengers suffered injuries due to extreme turbulence on an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight AR1133 en route from Madrid to Buenos Aires, according to Simply Flying.
What Happened:
There were over 200 passengers on board, and the turbulence was so severe that emergency equipment fell from the aircraft’s ceiling. Medical services treated passengers on-site once the plane landed. After that, medical officials took other passengers to Hospital de Ezeiza for further treatment and observation. Crew members instructed passengers on the flight to fasten their seatbelts, and the seatbelt sign was on according to the crew members. However, the twelve injured people were allegedly not wearing their seatbelts. Shortly after, one passenger who spoke with a local news outlet about the situation claimed that crew members did not turn on the seatbelt sign.
The Airlines Response
After landing, Aerolíneas Argentinas issued the following statement.
The passengers who were the most compromised and those who had to be transferred were not wearing seat belts during the turbulence. The event occurred over the Atlantic Ocean, entering the American continent, and the plane, an A330 with registration LV-FVH, was carrying 13 crew members and 271 passengers. The evaluation of the aircraft did not show significant damage to its structure,” the statement reads.