Report reveals new details on turbulent Delta flight that hospitalized 11 people

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A National Transportation Safety Board report released Friday sheds new light on a violently turbulent Delta flight that injured multiple people last month.

On Aug. 29, 11 people from Delta flight 175 were rushed to the hospital after landing at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport near 7 p.m. The report says 17 in total were injured, with two crew members and two passengers suffering serious injuries and eight crew members and five passengers suffering minor injuries.

The plane, which was flying from Milan, Italy, had 151 passengers and 14 crew members.

According to the report, the flight crew saw something on the weather radar about 40 miles out and requested a new route from air traffic control near 6:30 p.m. Air traffic control instructed the plane to continue before deviating north, and the flight crew agreed, seeing only a small white cloud ahead. There were no other reports or indications of turbulence in the area, according to the report.

But when they entered the cloud, the plane shuddered with “severe turbulence” for about two seconds, the report said. It was 14,000 feet in the air.

Ayo Suber, one of the plane’s occupants, told Atlanta News First she saw a woman fly out of her seat and crack an overhead compartment.

“I honestly thought that we were crashing,” Suber said.

“My flight hit severe turbulence and folks including myself went flying up out their seats," a passenger said. Credit: @helloayo/LOCAL NEWS X /TMX

The crew requested emergency medical services upon touchdown in Atlanta.

“Our priority is taking care of our customers and crew who sustained injuries,” Delta said in a statement. “We are grateful for the first responders who met the aircraft to provide medical attention and who are transporting the injured to hospital.”

Delta said it also provided food and re-booking for the uninjured passengers.

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