Turbulent Lufthansa Flight Forced To Land In Virginia With 7 Injured Passengers Hospitalized

A Lufthansa plane experienced severe turbulence mid-air Wednesday night, causing several injuries to those aboard as it made a diverted landing at Dulles International Airport.

An FAA spokesperson said Flight 469 departed from Austin and was destined for Frankfurt, Germany. About 90 minutes after takeoff, the Lufthansa Airbus A330 encountered turbulence at 37,000 feet over Tennessee.

Officials said the plane "landed safely" at 9:10 p.m. ET at Dulles International Airport. Although the aircraft touched down "without incident" in Northern Virginia, seven people on the flight were transported to local hospitals.

In a statement confirming the incident, Lufthansa said the flight crew "made an unscheduled landing at Washington Dulles Airport as a precautionary measure."

Passengers reported the plane dropped twice within 20 seconds. Jazz Kantipudi, a passenger aboard the flight, told NBC Washington that the turbulence began when the flight attendants were serving dinner.

Kantipudi claimed he witnessed a flight attendant hit the ceiling of the plane. "He was literally standing up serving drinks, so he had no way to brace himself," Kantipudi explained.

"At one of the drops, he literally, completely, hit the ceiling and dropped down and was completely horizontal."

Another passenger told The Washington Post the plane went into "free fall" and said food and people "went flying into the air, hitting and even damaging the ceiling of the plane." Videos of the incident show food and pillows throughout the aisle of the plane.

The passenger also said the person seated in front of them was "badly hurt" and had blood spattered over their seat. The injured person was reportedly taken off the plane in a wheelchair.

Lufthansa later issued an apology and vowed to rebook passengers. "Lufthansa regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers. The safety and well-being of passengers and crew members is Lufthansa's top priority at all times," the airline stated.

The FAA is expected to investigate the incident.