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The recent incident involving a Boeing aircraft that left one person dead and others injured is again raising questions about safety during turbulence.
Frankfurt – It seems that the incidents are increasing: last year in March, private video recordings of a Lufthansa flight to Texas caused concern. The machine got into turbulence and sank heavily. For a passenger on the way to Dubai, the flight ended with a broken neck – his plane was also hit by air currents and he crashed into the corner of the plane.
In March, 50 people were injured and last brought to Auckland on the way to Auckland Horror turbulence sends 71 people to hospital after an emergency landing in Thailand. One person even died. Is turbulence increasing in commercial aviation?
Danger from turbulence: “Temperature difference leads to sharper changes in wind direction”
In short: yes. Although turbulence is not uncommon when flying, incidents have increased over the years. This was determined by the British University of Reading in a scientific study. Accordingly, the number of turbulences has increased over the past 40 years, with the North Atlantic and the airspace over the USA particularly affected by the increase.
What is Turbulence?
Scientifically speaking, turbulence in the atmosphere is vortexes that form and then dissipate. These vortices cause forces to act on the aircraft, accelerating it up or down.
Source: German Weather Service (DWD)
The scientific team cites the main reason as being Climate change. “At cruising altitude, climate change warms the area south of the jet stream more than the area north of it. The larger temperature difference leads to sharper changes in wind direction and therefore more turbulence,” explained Paul Williams, who co-authored the study.
“Any additional amount of CO2 in the atmosphere means a greater temperature difference in the jet stream, which means more wind shear,” Williams said.
Due to turbulence: Boeing plane sinks almost two kilometers on the way to Singapore
As a rule, turbulence is associated with storms and strong thunderstorms There was supposedly a thunderstorm over the west coast of Myanmar, where the violent incident involving the Singapore Airlines plane was located on Tuesday (21 May). It is currently the rainy season there. It is still unclear whether storms actually caused the Boeing 777 plane to lose almost two kilometres in altitude within three minutes.
In fact, turbulence does not necessarily have to occur as a result of storms. “Various weather conditions can cause them, including atmospheric pressure, jet streams, mountain air, cold or warm weather fronts and even thunderstorms,” it quoted Washington Post the US aviation authority FAA on this. As a rule, the devices in the cockpit can detect turbulence early on and the pilots can react accordingly. However, “turbulence can occur even in clear skies,” says the FAA.
For example with the so-called clear air turbulence. The wind speed at the outer edges of the air flow decreases rapidly, causing the strong wind shear described by Williams. They usually occur at very high altitudes. Because they can come unexpectedly, experts recommend staying strapped in for the entire duration of the flight. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) differentiates between:
- Light – Light turbulence: Gentle vibrations, barely noticeable during the flight.
- Moderate – Moderate Turbulence: Can be perceived as unpleasant by passengers and have an impact on the flight behavior of the aircraft. Slight “jumps” are possible, but control of the machine is never in danger.
- Severe – Strong turbulence: Airplane may drop abruptly or be pushed upwards. The machine may lose control for a short period of time.
Source: Aeronautical Meteorology German Weather Service
Every third incident in the air can be traced back to this – How dangerous are turbulences?
Passengers who had experienced severe turbulence in the recent past also felt a loss of control. A woman who was on board the Lufthansa flight to Texas in March 2023 told the Washington Postthat it felt as if the machine was in “free fall”. On board the sinking LATAM plane from Sydney to Auckland One passenger felt like he was in the Hollywood film “The Exorcist”. Several people were thrown through the cabin.
However, there is no reason to worry or avoid air travel due to turbulence. “We see it more as a problem of comfort than as a safety risk,” says Patrick Smith, who piloted passenger planes for over 30 years, to the Washington Post. A spokesman also gave the all-clear Federal Aviation Office (LBA): “There is no need to worry about a plane breaking apart due to turbulence, even though the wing tips and engines may shake quite a bit. That’s what they’re built for,” he tells the industry portal Travel reporter.
Modern aircraft could therefore withstand far greater forces than could be caused by turbulence. However, according to a report from the US National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence accounted for one in three incidents on all commercial flights between 2008 and 2018. Between 2009 and 2021, 146 passengers were injured by turbulence. (rku)
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