7 hospitalized after turbulence forces flight to divert to Dulles
Seven passengers on a flight headed to Frankfurt, Germany, from Austin, Texas, have been hospitalized after the plane was forced to divert to Dulles amid significant turbulence, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) said.
A spokesperson for the MWAA said in a statement that the diverted flight landed safely at Dulles Airport in Virginia at 9:12 p.m. Wednesday night. The spokesperson said authority personnel responded, and seven passengers were transported to the hospital. All injuries were believed to be minor.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the flight — Lufthansa Flight 469 — started to experience “severe turbulence” at 37,000 feet altitude Wednesday night while it was flying over Tennessee.
The FAA said that it will investigate the incident.
The flight began experiencing turbulence issues about 90 minutes after takeoff, Lufthansa said in a statement. After the Airbus A330-300 landed, the airline said the affected passengers received medical attention, and that the airline staff is working with the passengers to rebook their flights.
“Lufthansa regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers. The safety and well-being of passengers and crew members is Lufthansa’s top priority at all times,” the statement read.
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