Extreme Turbulence Injures Air Canada Passengers

An Air Canada flight that rolled suddenly from side to side then plunged in the air may have suffered technical problems, according to passengers interviewed after the plane was diverted to Calgary.


An injured passenger is transported to hospital after an Air Canada plane encountered trouble and made an unscheduled landing at the Calgary airport.
(Larry MacDougal/Canadian Press)
The pilot of Flight 190, heading from Victoria to Toronto, came over the intercom to say there had been a computer failure and that they were flying the plane manually, Richard Kool, a passenger from Victoria, said in an e-mail to CBC News.

Fellow passenger Jayne Harvey, a nurse from Keswick, Ont., said pilots told the flight "the computer had been knocked out.

"Some of the armrests on the aisle seat sides were bent 60 degrees from people holding on. That's how extreme it was," she said.

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Airline officials said two crew members and eight passengers were taken to hospital after the Airbus A319 landed safely in Calgary at 8:30 a.m. MT, though hospital officials put the number higher, saying they treated a total of 11 people.

As of 1:30 p.m., six people, all in stable condition, were still in hospital, an Air Canada spokesman said.

None of the injuries were life threatening, the Calgary Health Region's Dr. Rob Abernathy said in an update at 11:50 a.m. Most people suffered soft tissue injuries and one person has already been released from hospital, he said.

Earlier reports by Calgary EMS said six people had potentially debilitating neck and spinal injuries.


Flight 190 was diverted to Calgary on its way from Victoria to Toronto.
(CBC)
"I'm sure I speak for all the passengers when I say that the folks have done a great job in dealing with what could have been a much worse incident!" Kool wrote, while waiting for a flight to continue to Toronto.

Passengers said the plane's sudden movement in the air lasted about 15 seconds.

"It happened really fast. One side of the plane went up sort of sideways and then came back down," one passenger told CBC News.

She said she saw her friend, who was among those taken to the hospital, "fly up" and hit the ceiling.

"All of a sudden there were three big drops," said passenger Andrew Evans. "I was in the very, very front seat of the plane and was watching dishes fly through the air.

"There was a crash. The cart tipped over and there was a lot of squealing."

Air Canada begins investigation into cause
An online flight path indicated that the plane appeared to change course south of Grand Forks, B.C.

Air Canada has not confirmed the cause for the flight's diversion. A spokesman said the airline will be doing a full internal investigation.

The Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the incident, as is standard procedure.

"There are a lot of factors when an aircraft is in the air and flying and it's difficult to speculate. At this point, we're just going to have to wait until the proper authorities have a chance to look at this," Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said.

The airline also said relatives of those on board who are seeking more information about the flight can call 1-800-961-7099.

Nav Canada's website indicates there were no aviation weather bulletins in effect at the time of the unscheduled stop. Environment Canada reported a low-pressure system with a front moving east across British Columbia on Thursday morning in what one meteorologist called a typical storm.

Bryce Paton, spokesman for the Calgary Airport Authority, said air traffic control gave priority to the plane's landing but it did not disrupt regular operations at the airport.

...of why passengers should keep their seatbelts fastened, even when the seatbelt light is off.

Thirty years ago, I was on a Quantas flight from Sydney to Bangkok that hit major turbulence. The plane went into freefall for what felt like hours. I wasn't wearing my seatbelt and headed straight for the ceiling. Only my father's quick reactions kept me from braining myself on the luggage compartment. I've worn a seatbelt at all times when flying ever since.

It still amazes me that folks will put a seatbelt on to drive to the shops at 30mph, but don't think they need one at 500mph.

I don't know if any of them were onboard this time. Glad that there weren't any life-threatening injuries.