The plane was flying from Cancun, Mexico, to Chicago and was diverted to Memphis, Tennessee
The Federal Aviation Administration says that the plane “landed safely at Memphis International Airport around 2:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 28, after the crew reported severe turbulence over Louisiana.”
Fox Business, citing the Memphis Fire Department, says that seven people were injured. In a statement to Quartz, United confirmed that one of them had to go to the hospital.
“Paramedics met the aircraft at the gate and transported one passenger to the hospital,” the airline said. “We’re grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our employees and customers.”
Global airline industry regulators have been working on ways to help airlines avoid such severe turbulence in the wake of a Singapore Airlines (SINGY) incident earlier this year that killed one passenger and injured several others. It’s a hot topic at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s air navigation conference this week, where Reuters reports that countries like Japan and South Korea are pushing the organization to make the issue a higher priority.
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