A United Airlines Boeing 787 flight made an emergency landing Friday evening, leaving 22 passengers injured due to “severe” turbulence.
Flight 85 was flying from Tel Aviv to Newark, New Jersey, when severe turbulence struck, forcing it to divert its path to New York Stewart International Airport in Orange County, New York, around 6:45 p.m.
New Windsor paramedics rushed to the scene as soon as the plane touched down.
The Daily Mail reported:
There were 312 passengers on board the Boeing 787 – seven of which were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Another 15 of the passengers were treated on-site for injuries sustained during the flight, according to New Windsor EMS.
Sources have reported that ”high winds” were the cause of extreme turbulence that prompted the emergency landing.
Passengers on board reportedly complained of nausea, and some said they had chest pains due to the turbulence. No severe injuries have been reported.
An FAA statement said:
“United Airlines Flight 85 landed safely at New York Stewart International Airport around 6:45 p.m. local time on Friday, March 29, after the crew reported a passenger medical emergency.”
“The Boeing 787 departed from Tel Aviv and was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information.”
“The New Windsor EMS officials stated that 25 emergency medical technicians (EMT) and paramedics responded to the incident and “evaluated and treated multiple patients for minor ailments,” according to their Instagram post.
The news comes as Boeing faces backlash over ongoing issues with its planes.
Investigations into the company’s safety came after its Boeing 737 Max-9 aircraft were temporarily grounded by the FAA after an Alaska Airlines flight lost a large window section after takeoff.
In the same month, a Boeing 747 cargo plane experienced an engine malfunction, spewing flames just moments after takeofftakeoff.
Atlas Air Flight 5Y095 was flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when engine trouble occurred.
“We have an engine fire,” one of the plane’s crew said in a mayday call.
“Mayday, mayday … We have an engine fire,” the audio recording obtained by WTVJ-TV said.
READ: Lawyers for Boeing Whistleblower Believe He Was Likely Killed
