Lufthansa Flight 469 Experiences Severe Turbulence, 7 Hospitalized After Emergency Landing
Passengers aboard Lufthansa Flight 469 from Austin, Texas to Frankfurt, Germany on March 1 were left stunned after the plane encountered “severe turbulence” at 37,000 feet, leading to an emergency landing and seven people being hospitalized.[0]
TikTok user Monica Raygada, who was on the flight, documented the terrifying experience with a video that has since gone viral, saying she was eating dinner 1.5 hours into the flight when the plane suddenly dropped.[1]
“It felt like we were in zero gravity for some time because I saw everything flying in slow motion,” she said.[2] “After the initial drop where everything flew and everyone was screaming, everything came to the ground and it seemed like we just kept falling. That's where everyone became dead silent. That's when we all thought this was it.”[2]
Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, were also aboard the flight.[1] Alves posted photos of the damage on her social media page once the plane had safely landed.[3]
Rolanda Schmidt, one of the passengers injured, told Insider she hit her head on the plastic tray table case on the seat in front of her during the first major drop, and then again on the aircraft's ceiling when the plane ascended.[4]
“It felt like the insides of your body were being shaken out,” she said.[5] “It was one of those moments where within five-to-ten minutes of processing, you knew you were going to die and we didn't know if we were going to make it safely anywhere.”[4]
Schmidt added that the crew asked the passengers to delete all photos and videos of the incident at least twice, once citing passenger privacy.[6]
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the Airbus A330 encountered the severe turbulence while flying over Tennessee at 37,000 feet and diverted to Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where it landed at 9.10pm.[0] Lufthansa has yet to indicate what may have caused the turbulence.[4]
0. “‘I’m going to die:' Austin woman recounts terrifying flight to Germany” FOX 7 Austin, 7 Mar. 2023, https://www.fox7austin.com/news/austin-woman-recounts-flight-to-germany
1. “Chaos after plane plunges 4000ft” news.com.au, 8 Mar. 2023, https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/shock-footage-from-inside-plane-after-severe-turbulence/news-story/27d13a54b58f3d5591b303d921170316
2. “‘Happy To Be Alive'—Video Shows Extent of Severe Turbulence on Texas Flight” Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/happy-alive-video-extent-severe-turbulence-texas-flight-1786377
3. “WATCH: Passenger Captures Immediate Aftermath of Lufthansa Plane That ‘Dropped': ‘We All thought This Was It'” PEOPLE, 7 Mar. 2023, https://people.com/travel/tiktok-user-documents-aftermath-of-lufthansa-flight-that-endured-extreme-turbulence-we-all-thought-this-was-it/
4. “Lufthansa staff demanded passengers delete all evidence of their terrifying turbulent flight” Daily Mail, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11848177/Lufthansa-staff-demanded-passengers-delete-evidence-terrifying-turbulent-flight.html
5. “Lufthansa flight crew told passengers to delete photos after ‘severe turbulence'” Insider, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.insider.com/lufthansa-flight-crew-delete-photos-severe-turbulence-2023-3
6. “Lufthansa Flight Attendants Ordered Passengers to Delete Cellphone Footage of Cabin Carnage After Turbulence …” paddleyourownkanoo.com, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/03/11/lufthansa-flight-attendants-ordered-passengers-to-delete-cellphone-footage-of-cabin-carnage-after-turbulence-rattled-plane/
