An Orlando-bound US Airways flight hit turbulence injuring 6 people on board during takeoff from Philadelphia International Airport, Sunday.
Flight 735, carrying 265 passengers and 10 crew members was flying 17,000 feet roughly halfway to the cruising altitude in the air when it experienced turbulence. Bill McGlashen, spokesman for the airline said 4 passengers and 2 flight attendants were injured.
"All of a sudden, there was ... a drop like you're going down the bottom of a roller coaster," Jake Levin told CNN affiliate WKMG. "You saw ... shoes and apples and all kinds of things (flying in the air). It was so quick," he said. "They weren't sure if we were dropping for good or what was happening."
Another passenger added, "I saw the lady three rows in front of me bash her head all the way up to the plastic. The plastic was broken and hair was hanging, that's how hard she hit it." Two doctors on board provided initial medical care to the injured till the plane landed.
According to McGlashen, the pilot decided to terminate the trip and return to Philadelphia International Airport where the plane landed safely. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals and the other passengers journeyed to Orlando in another flight.
The injured crew members were discharged later the day. However, it was unclear whether the passengers remained hospitalized, reports Reuters.
The Federal Aviation Administration will launch a probe in to the incident. CNN reports that in another incident, the wing of a WestJet 737 clipped the horizontal stabilizer of a JetBlue airliner while on the ground at Orlando International Airport.
