“This is why planes have seatbelts”: Hawaiian Airlines severe turbulence video sparks concern online

Severe turbulence on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu on Sunday left at least 36 people injured. The incident took place on Flight HA35 shortly before the plane’s landing at Honolulu's Daniel K Inouye International Airport.

Reports suggest that the area detected thunderstorms at the time of the turbulence. Hawaiian Airlines issued a statement confirming the situation and shared that medical help was provided to the passengers and crew members:

“Medical care was provided to several guests and crew members at the airport for minor injuries while some were swiftly transported to local hospitals for further care.”

A total of 278 passengers and 10 crew members were on board the Airbus A330-200 flight at the time of turbulence. Honolulu Emergency Medical Services shared that nearly 20 passengers were taken to two local hospitals following the incident.

The patients suffered injuries ranging from “lacerations, bruising and loss of consciousness to wounds to the head.” Nine people suffered minor wounds while 11 sustained major injuries. Of the 20 individuals taken to hospital, 17 were passengers and three were crew members.

The hospitalized individuals also included one 14-month-old baby and a teenager. Honolulu Emergency Services Department Director Jim Ireland detailed the injuries, saying that one person was knocked unconscious and 10 passengers experienced nausea and vomiting.

Hawaiian Airlines' Chief Operating Officer Jon Snook said that he was “grateful” for the support provided by emergency services and that “everybody's going to survive.” He also mentioned that "unstable weather conditions" recently made it challenging for airlines to fly in the Hawaiian sky.

Videos showing the aftermath of the turbulence surfaced online following the incident and sparked concern on social media. Many also pointed out the importance of using seatbelts in flight to prevent injuries during such situations:

Reddit Comment (1/1) (Image via Reddit)

On Monday, the US National Transportation Safety Board announced it was investigating the incident.

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Internet reacts to Hawaiian Airlines turbulence incident

Hawaiian Airlines turbulence incident sparked major concern online (Image via Getty Images)

On December 18, a severe turbulence incident on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu left multiple people injured. Video from the incident sparked fear and concern online, and many took to Twitter to react to the situation.

Several social media users also noticed clips showing passengers putting on seatbelts after the incident, and many asked travelers to use their seatbelts while flying:

In the wake of the incident, a passenger named Jacie Hayata Ano told KHON2 that although the severe turbulence only lasted a few seconds, it was enough to injure multiple people:

"It was just rocky. And then, it quickly just escalated to, like, the point where we're shaking so much that we were, like, pretty much floating off of our chairs. You could see people were hurt around us and things are just everywhere... that's pretty surreal.”

Another passenger named Tiffany Reyes told The Associated Press that the incident took place right after she returned to her seat from the washroom and was about to put her safety belt back on:

“I asked everyone around me, 'Was that me? They said I had apparently flown into the ceiling and slammed into the ground... That's the most terrifying experience I've been through in my whole 40 years of life.”

Following the incident, the flight landed safely at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport around 10:50 am local time.

Passengers and crew members were immediately provided medical help. Hawaiian Airlines that the company is “supporting all affected passengers & employees” while continuing to monitor the situation.

Although the Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the incident, the exact cause of turbulence is yet to be confirmed.