Jet Turbulence Injures 22

A Continental Airlines 747 bound from Tokyo to Honolulu was rocked by severe turbulence Wednesday, injuring 18 passengers and 4 crew members.

The airliner was 3 hours from Hawaii when rough air appeared suddenly, just as flight attendants were serving breakfast. "Food went flying everywhere," says reporter Alan Lu of CBS affiliate KGBM in Honolulu. "One woman came off the plane and there was food in her hair."

Anyone on flight 910 not belted in was flung about the cabin. One passenger was thrown into a window, causing the inner pane to buckle. Another said the jumbo jet was tossed about like a toy. Most of those hurt were sitting in the back of the plane.

The flight later landed safely at Honolulu International Airport and the injured were taken to Queen's Medical Center. None of the injuries appeared to be life threatening, with most victims suffering bumps and bruises, though doctors say at least one person had possible rib fractures.

Severe turbulence seems to be all too common on the Tokyo to Honolulu route. Last September, passengers on a China Airlines flight, and others aboard a Japan Airlines jet, were hurt when both planes encountered turbulence.

The Continental jumbo jet will remain at the Honolulu airport pending an investigation.