A Delta flight had to be diverted to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday after it encountered “significant turbulence,” leaving 25 people injured, seven of whom were crew members.
Delta on Thursday said the 25 in the hospital have since been released.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the flight was headed from Salt Lake City International Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands when the crew reported “severe turbulence” and diverted to MSP.
Delta says that flight, DL56, safely landed at MSP at around 7:45 p.m. and medical personnel met the flight upon arrival to evaluate passengers and crew.
Passengers will be able to leave for Amsterdam on Thursday on an 8 p.m. flight out of MSP.
MSP says its fire department and paramedics responded to the plane at the gate to provide medical attention to passengers.
Delta said that 25 people on board the plane were brought to local hospitals for evaluation and care. The company added that there were 275 customers and 13 crew members on board the Airbus A330-900.
“We went up about 500 feet and then dropped 1500 feet. There was a point where we were weightless,” passenger Leann Nash told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
“There was a moment when we thought we were going down… I’m still shaking about it, it was very scary,” she added.
One couple on the flight told ABC News that dinner service had just started. That means carts, crew members and passengers were up and down the aisles when it happened.
“If you didn’t have your seat belt on — if they didn’t, they hit the ceiling and then fell to the ground,” Nash added. “The carts also hit the ceiling and fell to the ground, and people were injured.”
A report from law enforcement who responded to the scene states one flight attendant believed she lost consciousness when the aircraft dropped and she hit the ceiling multiple times, shattering her plastic hair clip.
Damage from passengers hitting the ceiling
KSTP meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas reviewed the flight’s path.
“When they were going up over Wyoming, they hit that turbulence,” he said. “There were thunderstorms in the area, many thunderstorms. They got into an area where they were literally surrounded by thunderstorms — not necessarily severe at the moment, but any thunderstorm can cause very significant turbulence.”
According to FAA data, 207 people suffered injuries due to severe turbulence from 2009 and 2024, with 80% of those injured being crew members.
The FAA says it will investigate this latest incident.
Stick with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS for the latest updates.
