August 3, 2009 9:48 PM
- Text
26 Hurt on Turbulent Continental Flight
(CBS/AP)
Updated 7:45 p.m. ET
A Continental Airlines jet carrying 179 people from Brazil to Texas hit severe turbulence over the Atlantic early Monday, injuring at least 26 — including four seriously — and forcing an emergency landing in Miami, officials said.
One passenger said he felt Continental Flight 128 drop without warning while flight attendants were in the aisles. Some were thrown against the roof.
Houston-based Continental said there were 168 people and 11 crew on the Boeing 767. The airline released a statement that said the fasten seat belt sign was illuminated at the time and that about 28 passengers were treated in Miami.
But many of the sleeping passengers on the overnight flight either didn't see it, or ignored it. Each year, approximately 58 air travelers in the U.S. are injured by turbulence while not wearing their seatbelts, according to the FAA.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Elkin Sierra said four people were seriously injured and another 22 had bumps and bruises.
Fourteen of the passengers were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be treated for their injuries, reports CBS station WFOR in Miami.
Those with the most severe injuries were lowered from the plane using catering trucks, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. The rest were treated at the airport.
Click here to watch video from WFOR's coverage of the emergency landing.
The plane was on an overnight flight from Rio de Janeiro to Houston. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the turbulence struck about halfway between Puerto Rico and Grand Turk island, north of the Dominican Republic.
The plane reported hitting severe turbulence at 4:30 a.m. and landed safely at 5:30 a.m, at Miami International Airport, Bergen said.
Passenger Fabio Ottolini of Houston said it was about six hours into the flight when he felt the aircraft suddenly drop.
"People didn't have time to do anything," he said.
Ottolini said flight attendants were serving items in the aisles when the turbulence hit. He said some flight attendants were thrown against the roof of the cabin and may have been among those injured.
"All of a sudden, the plane just kind of like takes a dip and rises up. And you see people going off their seats, people screaming," Diego Saavedra, an injured passenger, told Cordes.
Carolina Portella, 18, was on the flight and headed to college in San Francisco. She said the plane hit a little turbulence and then suddenly dropped severely. The oxygen masks popped out.
"The plane just dropped," she said. "I just grabbed the hand of the person next to me and held on."
The rest of the flight, she said, was smooth.
The turbulence happened over the Caribbean. A doctor on board did what he could during the hour it took to divert to Miami, Cordes reports.
Rio de Janeiro was also the departure airport for Air France Flight 447, which crashed amid thunderstorms June 1 in the mid-Atlantic more than 900 miles off Brazil's northeastern coast, killing all 228 people on board.
The FAA's Bergen cautioned against drawing any parallels and said the cause and severity of the turbulence in the Continental case was still being investigated. "I wouldn't draw any conclusions and comparisons," Bergen said.
Miami International Airport spokesman Marc Henderson said the uninjured passengers would be cleared by customs. Then, he said, some passengers were going on to Houston on various Continental flights about midday. He did not know when the remaining passengers would be expected to arrive in Houston, WFOR reports.
Continental said family members of passengers who need to contact the airline can reach them toll free at 800-621-3263.
A Continental Airlines jet carrying 179 people from Brazil to Texas hit severe turbulence over the Atlantic early Monday, injuring at least 26 — including four seriously — and forcing an emergency landing in Miami, officials said.
One passenger said he felt Continental Flight 128 drop without warning while flight attendants were in the aisles. Some were thrown against the roof.
Houston-based Continental said there were 168 people and 11 crew on the Boeing 767. The airline released a statement that said the fasten seat belt sign was illuminated at the time and that about 28 passengers were treated in Miami.
But many of the sleeping passengers on the overnight flight either didn't see it, or ignored it. Each year, approximately 58 air travelers in the U.S. are injured by turbulence while not wearing their seatbelts, according to the FAA.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Elkin Sierra said four people were seriously injured and another 22 had bumps and bruises.
Fourteen of the passengers were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be treated for their injuries, reports CBS station WFOR in Miami.
Those with the most severe injuries were lowered from the plane using catering trucks, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. The rest were treated at the airport.
Click here to watch video from WFOR's coverage of the emergency landing.
The plane was on an overnight flight from Rio de Janeiro to Houston. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the turbulence struck about halfway between Puerto Rico and Grand Turk island, north of the Dominican Republic.
The plane reported hitting severe turbulence at 4:30 a.m. and landed safely at 5:30 a.m, at Miami International Airport, Bergen said.
Passenger Fabio Ottolini of Houston said it was about six hours into the flight when he felt the aircraft suddenly drop.
"People didn't have time to do anything," he said.
Ottolini said flight attendants were serving items in the aisles when the turbulence hit. He said some flight attendants were thrown against the roof of the cabin and may have been among those injured.
"All of a sudden, the plane just kind of like takes a dip and rises up. And you see people going off their seats, people screaming," Diego Saavedra, an injured passenger, told Cordes.
Carolina Portella, 18, was on the flight and headed to college in San Francisco. She said the plane hit a little turbulence and then suddenly dropped severely. The oxygen masks popped out.
"The plane just dropped," she said. "I just grabbed the hand of the person next to me and held on."
The rest of the flight, she said, was smooth.
The turbulence happened over the Caribbean. A doctor on board did what he could during the hour it took to divert to Miami, Cordes reports.
Rio de Janeiro was also the departure airport for Air France Flight 447, which crashed amid thunderstorms June 1 in the mid-Atlantic more than 900 miles off Brazil's northeastern coast, killing all 228 people on board.
The FAA's Bergen cautioned against drawing any parallels and said the cause and severity of the turbulence in the Continental case was still being investigated. "I wouldn't draw any conclusions and comparisons," Bergen said.
Miami International Airport spokesman Marc Henderson said the uninjured passengers would be cleared by customs. Then, he said, some passengers were going on to Houston on various Continental flights about midday. He did not know when the remaining passengers would be expected to arrive in Houston, WFOR reports.
Continental said family members of passengers who need to contact the airline can reach them toll free at 800-621-3263.
Latest Now in National
- Uzbek man pleads guilty in plot to kill Obama
- Coach found dead of apparent suicide in Pa. jail
- Powell father kept dozens of pics of son's wife
- Banks could still face prosecution despite deal
- Purple squirrel in Pa. remains a mystery
- HealthPop: Online dating and jaw engraving
- Obama signs Giffords' final bill into law
- The Showbuzz: The Amazing Spider-Man
- CNET's Next Big Thing in Tech 2012
- Panetta to Marines: "Look into" SS flag photo
- Person shoots self at N.H. grade school
- A reporter's life: On the trail of Mitt Romney
- President Obama on contraception coverage
- Music industry players on Grammys, tech issues
- Grammy roundtable: Changing music biz
- Octavia Spencer on her "overnight success"
- Marine vet with PTSD found after 2 days in snow
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Lawmaker's stock trades draw ethics investigation
- Hackers hit CIA, U.N. Web sites
- Movie Scores: How the critics rated the new movies
- Setback in Greek deal sends investors into bonds
on Facebook
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
- Josh Powell had "incestuous" images on his home computer, authorities say
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
on CBS News
