A passenger was sent to the hospital after a United Airlines flight from Cancun to Chicago was diverted due to extreme turbulence.
The airline confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement that United Flight 1196 landed in Memphis on Wednesday, Aug. 28, after encountering a “brief period of severe turbulence” while the seat belt sign was on.
“Paramedics met the plane at the gate and transported one passenger to the hospital,” the statement added. “We are grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our employees and customers.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, a Boeing 737-900, landed “safely” at Memphis International Airport around 2:50 p.m., and that turbulence had occurred over Louisiana. The FAA is investigating the incident.
Boeing aircraft of United Airlines.
Kevin Carter/Getty
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The Memphis Fire Department told NBC News that the passenger who was taken to the hospital was in “non-critical condition” when paramedics arrived at the door.
The department also said six other passengers “refused treatment and transport to hospital”, adding that “the extent of their injuries is unknown”.
PEOPLE reached out to the MFD but did not immediately hear back.
In July, due to extreme turbulence on an Air Europa flight from Spain to Uruguay, dozens of people were injured, and one man got stuck in an overhead trash can. It is not clear how the man got stuck in the space.
Several passengers reported that turbulent air unexpectedly ejected people who were not wearing seat belts from their seats, hitting the cabin ceiling.
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Memphis International Airport.
Memphis International Airport/Facebook
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According to Reuters, around 30 passengers were injured on the flight. Other reports put the number as high as 40.
“There are passengers with fractures and injuries to their hands, faces and legs,” said one passenger. “It was a pretty horrible feeling. We thought we were going to die there.”
“From moment to moment, the plane destabilized and dived,” added another passenger.
Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves were on a transatlantic flight that experienced extreme turbulence in March 2023.
“It’s suspended disbelief. I mean, it’s zero gravity,” McConaughey explained, recalling the experience in a preview clip of his upcoming appearance on Let’s talk in front of the camera podcast shares ET on Tuesday.
Alves (41) previously shared her memory of the flight on Instagram, saying that “the plane descended almost 4,000 feet.”
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Source: HIS Education