After getting off of a flight plagued with turbulence earlier this month, at least one passenger said they feel “lucky to be alive,” according to reports.
A video of the flight captured by that passenger – identified as Sammy Solstad – was shared with Storyful and picked up by Fox 35 as well as other outlets. Screaming passengers can be seen clinging to seats in the video as the plane shakes, sending items up into the air and littering the aisles.
“A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Stockholm to Miami made an emergency U-turn over Greenland on November 14 due to severe turbulence, leaving passengers terrified as objects flew and one engine temporarily shut down,” said Storyful in a Facebook post on the incident. The Independent reported that flight SK957 was diverted to Copenhagen, Denmark.
It said that Solstad revealed in a Facebook post that passengers begged flight staff to make an emergency landing in Canada – he said that would have been just 20 minutes away. However, they had to remain on the plane for about five more hours to make it to Copenhagen, closer to its starting location in Sweden.
Scandinavian Airlines said in a statement that the plane underwent an inspection in Copenhagen. In Miami, Fla. Where the plane was headed, the airport did not have space or staff for a prompt inspection to make sure it would be safe to fly again, the airline added.
Many flights are impacted by turbulence, or irregular movement of the air. A range of factors can influence turbulence, from weather to mechanical issues, the National Weather Service explained.
Light turbulence might not be something to worry about, but severe turbulence can indeed be deadly. This May, Audacy reported on a 73-year-old man who died during a turbulence incident aboard a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore. Another 30 of the plane’s more than 200 passengers were injured and that flight made an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand.
Fortunately, turbulence on the Scandinavian Airlines flight did not result in any severe injuries. However, The Independent said that several of the 254 passengers were lifted out of their seats and that some hit the ceiling of the aircraft.
“Solstad can be heard crying out for help after a woman, who wasn’t wearing a seltbelt, was injured after crashing against the roof,” said the outlet of the passenger’s video.
According to CNN, passengers were helped by a “special assistance team” to rebook their flights to Miami once they landed in Copenhagen. They were also provided with hotel rooms for an overnight stay.
Shortly after the deadly turbulence incident in May, airline industry expert Peter Goelz told Audacy that turbulence might be getting more intense due to climate change. He said that: “With climate change occurring, weather is getting more violent – it’s getting more violent outside of traditional time frames.”