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An international JetBlue flight heading to Fort Lauderdale from Guayaquil, Ecuador, was hit by severe turbulence, leaving eight people hospitalized, including one inflight crew member. After the flight safely landed at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday, September 25, medical personnel immediately transported the affected to the hospital.
The National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) declared that an investigation was opened into the turbulence incident on JetBlue #1256, an Airbus A320. JetBlue stated the aircraft was taken out of service. The conditions of the passengers were not revealed to the public.
Eight hospitalized after JetBlue #1256 hits severe turbulence
At around 5 am on Monday, September 25, JetBlue #1256 landed safely at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida. Medical personnel rushed to the scene to evacuate seven passengers and one inflight crew member to the hospital for checkup and evaluation. The injured passengers were treated by the Broward County Fire Rescue.
Before landing, the Airbus 320 twin-engine plane en route from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to Fort Lauderdale was near Jamaica when it was hit by severe turbulence. The Airline stated that the flight had "experienced sudden severe turbulence as it neared Florida."
"JetBlue will work to support our customers and crewmembers," the Airline's statement read.
"The aircraft for this flight has been taken out of service for inspection," the statement added.
Neither the Airline nor Broward County Fire Rescue has revealed the extent of the passengers' injuries or how they were doing. On Monday afternoon, the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) declared that they had opened an investigation into the incident.
"NTSB has opened an investigation into today's turbulence incident that occurred on JetBlue #1256, an Airbus A320, during cruise flight near Jamaica while en route from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Numerous injuries reported."
Allegiant Air Flight 227 hit severe turbulence in July, leaving four hospitalized
The latest incident is reminiscent of another similar incident that occurred not so long ago. In July 2023, Allegiant Air Flight 227, headed from North Carolina's Asheville Regional Airport to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, experienced severe turbulence before landing. The incident left four people hospitalized, including two inflight crew members.
Like the latest incident, the flight landed safely at the airport and was immediately met with the paramedics, who escorted the injured to the hospital. The aircraft was carrying 179 passengers and six crew members. According to FlightAware, the flight had dropped 8000 feet in less than two minutes. Lisa Spriggs, a passenger on the plane, told NBC Miami:
"More than halfway through descending and all of sudden we heard a small turbulence. The stewardess fell to the ground."
"Then we hit major turbulence which was petrifying and she was literally like 'the Matrix.' You can watch her go up in the air and land straight down. She broke her ankle," she added.
The most common and important advice to deal with turbulence is to ensure that your seatbelts are strapped in. This helps to keep you and the people around you safe during severe turbulence.
