People on Delta flight 56 from SLC to Amsterdam got more than they bargained for on July 30. After reaching cruising altitude the plane pushed into a region of stormy weather, where it hit major turbulence and diverted to Minneapolis. 25 people were sent to the hospital, including 7 flight attendants.
Weather radar and flight tracking from the website FlightRadar24 showed other airliners avoiding the weather. For whatever reason, flight 56 did not. Weather radar is always delayed several minutes, but the environment ahead was no mystery.
This was no ordinary turbulence
Flight tracking showed changes in altitude consistent with severe turbulence, even dropping 1,000ft at one point as they flew across WY. They experienced 3 incidents of severe turbulence, each worse than the previous.
A passenger who spoke with SLC news station Fox 13 said the FA were serving passengers when they hit the first turbulence event unexpectedly, sending the FA and their service carts airborne.
After that, anyone who was not in their seats with seatbelts on would pay the price if the turbulence happened again. It did, sending anyone not in a seatbelt into the ceiling.
“Every one of them flew and hit the ceiling, the beverage carts also flew into the air,” said the passenger. “Any items that were loose in the cabin got thrown everywhere. The plane is a mess, covered in liquids and service items.”
FAA is investigating
The FAA is now investigating to figure out why this happened. It’s unclear if the flight crew ever asked ATC to deviate around the stormy weather.
