Four Flight Attendants Injured After Severe Turbulence Hits United Airlines Flight to LAX

POLICY WIRE — Los Angeles, USA — Four flight attendants sustained injuries Wednesday evening when a United Airlines flight traveling from Hawaii experienced a bout of severe turbulence while approaching Los Angeles International Airport.

United Airlines confirmed that one of the crew members aboard Flight 1157 required hospitalization following the incident. While the airline declined to provide additional updates on Thursday, reports indicate that two of the injured staff members suffered from neck and back trauma.

The Boeing 777, which carried 190 passengers and 10 crew members, successfully touched down at LAX. Although the airline stated that no passengers were harmed, one traveler reported seeing a flight attendant with visible blood on her head and leg.

Flight data indicates the aircraft experienced a rapid descent, dropping nearly 3,700 feet within a single minute. The plane descended from an altitude of 22,800 feet to 14,000 feet over the course of approximately two and a half minutes.

Passengers described a chaotic scene as the plane suddenly lost altitude. Marly Wadlington, a passenger from San Diego, told ABC7 that she was watching a movie when the plane dropped, noting that the shaking caused everyone to yell in fear. Another passenger, Coral Pena, reported hearing a loud bang before the aircraft began to fall.

During a radio communication with air traffic control, the pilot characterized the event as brief. The pilot stated, It only lasted a couple of seconds; it felt like wake turbulence, but we’re smooth now.

While wake turbulence is caused by swirling air currents from other aircraft, the specific cause of the disturbance on Flight 1157 remains unconfirmed. Following the landing, the aircraft sat on the tarmac for at least 30 minutes as the injured crew members remained onboard before the plane reached its gate.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)