Violent Turbulence Aboard American Airlines Plane Injures 30 Passengers

Violent turbulence rocked an American Airlines flight traveling to the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago Wednesday night, injuring 30 passengers. According to local media, three passengers received further medical treatment at a health facility after the plane landed.

"On Wednesday, August 2 at 9 p.m., American Airlines Flight 2713 contacted the ATC [Air Traffic Control] Tower to advise that they experienced severe turbulence while en route from Miami to Port-of-Spain and would require medical assistance upon arrival at the Piarco International Airport as there were injuries on board. The Authority and emergency response agencies arrived on site immediately to lend support," the Airport Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AATT) said in a statement, adding that "three (3) persons were taken to the Arima Health Facility to seek further medical attention.”

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An audio recording acquired by the T&T Guardian revealed that the pilot of the plane informed Air Traffic Control that they were trying to stabilize the aircraft for landing. “Medical assistance is waiting on your arrival,” the ATC told the pilot.

The plane, which flew from Miami, was forced to make an emergency landing at the Piarco International Airport.

One of the passengers spoke to a local media outlet, saying she was left traumatized following the incident.

“It was like a nightmare. I remembered going into the washroom and thinking to myself ‘Please Jesus, I don’t want to die on this plane’,” she told T&T Guardian.

The passenger, who identified herself as Stacy Mohammed, was traveling with her 15-year-old son Antonio after a ten-day vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands, St Croix. According to the 35-year-old, the incident occurred two-and-a-half hours into the flight.

Mohammed shared with the local media the ordeal of other passengers, saying: “Screams filled the cabin. I looked at my son to see if he was okay. He had hit his head very hard on the right side and above the eye, which up to now remains swollen.”

“The flight from St Croix was smooth, same airline but was very good. When we left Miami at 5.36 p.m., very shortly after takeoff I knew something was wrong. I was very heavy. It was a rough flight and had a lot of drops due to the air pockets caused by the turbulence,” Mohammed said, giving details about the flight.

“We had about one hour again to reach Piarco so I decided to go to the wash room. While in there I had to hold on for my life I felt like. I prayed because I did not want to die in there. When I came out I had to almost creep back to my seat. When I got there, a few minutes after my son and I flew off our seats as there was a big drop,” she added.

Mohammed, who received injuries to the head, said an elderly couple just behind her was more seriously injured due to the turbulence. “One of the man’s tooth broke and his wife hit her head.”

According to Mohammed, all passengers had seatbelts on as the crew members had warned them of severe turbulence.

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Mohammed expressed her disappointment about the airline not contacting them despite taking their information.

"All our information was taken by the airline crew members but up to now, I have not received a phone call from them to find out how my son and I are doing. Very disappointing. I intend to go and seek further medical treatment for myself and my son by a private doctor,” she said.