Violent turbulence injured two dozen people and damaged parts of the cabin on a JetBlue flight that was forced to divert Thursday night and land in South Dakota. The Airbus A320, en route from Boston to Sacramento, apparently encountered multiple thunderstorms about 6:30 p.m. The crew attempted to steer clear of the worst weather but penetrated the surrounding turbulence, CNN reported today. Twenty-two passengers and two crew members were treated and released from local hospitals after the flight landed in Rapid City.
After the jet went through a violent descent that sent people and objects tumbling, the crew sought aid from those on board. A doctor told the Boston Globe he helped look people over as the flight approached the Rapid City airport and found “moderate lacerations and contusions.” Three flight attendants who had been standing at the time hit the ceiling, breaking a hole in the tile. Overhead bins were cracked and a toilet “came completely undone,” he said. Other passengers tweeted photos of medics helping everyone off the jet; one posted a photo of the toilet with its casing ripped off.
