A United Airlines flight landed at least five people in the hospital. They were injured after the aircraft was hit with extreme turbulence. Things got so bumpy that it had to make an emergency landing before reaching its destination.
The United plane stopped 180 miles short of its final destination. The plane left the Springfield-Branson National Airport headed for Houston. But turbulence made the aircraft stop in Waco, Texas, instead. The incident happened late Sunday afternoon. All things considered, the situation could have been much worse than it was.
There was 32 people on board the plane including three United crew members and 29 passengers. Ryan Dirker, emergency management coordinator for the McLennan County Office of Emergency Management, spoke out about the emergency landing. He said that five people suffered injuries that required a trip to a local hospital. However, the injuries were considered "non-life threatening."
"They had turbulence," he said. Unfortunately, the rest of the passengers got stranded at the airport due to the emergency landing. "The rest of the folks, a great majority of them, are still at the airport trying to figure out next steps."
United Airlines Flight Grounded
It turns out that they weren't the only ones, either. Two other flights, operated by American Airlines instead of United, also ended up at the Waco airport. These two flights were headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. But extreme turbulence and the uncertainty of the weather grounded them short of their destination.
SkyWest, which operated the United flight, said in a statement to KXXV that the flight managed to land safely.
It said, "SkyWest flight 5690, operating as United Express from Springfield, MO to Houston, landed safely at Waco Regional Airport after experiencing turbulence. Medical personnel met and evaluated passengers, and five passengers were transported to the hospital. SkyWest and United are making sure the injured customers get the care they need and are working to line up new transportation options for everyone on this flight."
For now, the United plane will remain grounded in Waco. Mechanics want to give the aircraft a look over to make sure that it is sky ready.
