Buckle up your seat belt, did a flight attendant on Air China's Beijing Shanghai flight get thrown onto the cabin roof during the turbulence in the air? Industry: Clear air turbulence cannot predict flights | turbulence | passengers
How should the crew and passengers take safety precautions during severe flight turbulence?
On July 10th, multiple netizens posted on social media that while taking the Air China CA1524 flight from Shanghai to Beijing, the plane experienced severe turbulence, and the topic of # CA1524 turbulence # also made headlines. Associate Professor Xing Lida of China University of Geosciences also shared his experience on Air China flight CA1524 on Weibo on July 10th. "In the afternoon, the plane was very scary, and the flight attendant and passengers were thrown to the top. The flight attendant protected the passengers, but they were still injured."
Derived from @ Xing Lida
On the evening of July 10, a reporter from The Paper called Air China's customer service hotline for manual customer service, and the operator said, "This side is mainly dealing with issues related to ticket products. For those who want to ask about individual flights, they may not be able to help you." As of July 11, surging news reporters, Air China has not responded to this for the time being.
According to the Hanglv Zongheng APP, on July 10th, Air China Flight CA1524 took off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at 15:24 and landed at Beijing Capital Airport at 17:17. The aircraft model carrying out this flight is the Airbus A330.
Derived from "Air Travel Zongheng"
Passenger: There will be severe turbulence about half an hour before landing
On the evening of July 10th, Xing Lida stated in an interview with The Paper that he planned to return to Beijing from Shanghai on July 10th. However, due to thunderstorms in East China, many planes could not land in Shanghai. Only the previous flight CA1523 of CA1524 arrived successfully, so he rescheduled for this flight. The first half of the journey was quite smooth and stable, with a relatively small bump about thirty or forty minutes before landing.
Xing Lida told Pengpai News reporters, "Before the first small jolt, many passengers stood up and went back and forth to the restroom. Thanks to this relatively light jolt, the crew reminded everyone to fasten their seat belts, and some passengers gradually returned to their seats. Soon after, perhaps a dozen seconds later, there was a very strong feeling of falling and a strong sense of weightlessness. Everyone on site was screaming, and we also saw pillows and mineral water bottles falling to the ground, as well as phones falling to the ground."
An industry insider told a reporter from Pengpai News that from the actual flight situation, there was indeed a slight drop in the plane about thirty or forty minutes before landing, but overall it was not obvious.
"Perhaps due to the sudden descent of the plane and the proximity of the two jolts, a passenger who had not yet been able to return to his seat and a flight attendant who was protecting the passenger were 'thrown' to the ceiling. Xing Lida further stated, 'Just near my seat, I saw a woman who was probably around 40 years old. The flight attendant was protecting the passenger, her arms were bleeding, and her waist was twisted. The top of the ceiling was hit, revealing a pipeline, and the' exit 'sign fell under my feet.'"
Regarding the first protective actions taken by flight attendants towards passengers, Xing Lida also mentioned on social media, "Here we praise the flight attendants of Air China. They are naturally nervous, but they first protected the passengers who were thrown up and hugged them together... Then they provided medical assistance to the injured passengers, professional and calm, boasting."
"I fastened my seat belt and was not injured, but I also hope to remind everyone to fasten my seat belt as much as possible throughout this bumpy experience." Xing Lida told Pengpai News reporters that after the second severe bumpy ride on the flight, the plane resumed normal flight and did not encounter any further bumps. During the two jolts, the crew members were prompted to fasten their seat belts, but they did not explain the reason for the "big commotion".
Industry insiders: Aircraft turbulence is a common phenomenon, remind passengers to fasten their seat belts
What are the main reasons for severe airplane turbulence? Is it common? Will it lead to serious consequences?
Senior captain Chen Jianguo told Pengpai News reporters that according to the situation described by netizens, the cause of the severe turbulence may be one of entering clear sky turbulence, and the other may be entering cumulus clouds or cumulonimbus clouds. The clear sky turbulence is due to the relatively turbulent external atmospheric airflow, which cannot be detected by aircraft onboard radar at present. In cloud systems such as cumulus clouds or cumulonimbus clouds, there will be strong convection, and when airplanes fly over or into them, strong turbulence will occur. The specific situation needs to be confirmed by the airline.
Civil aviation expert Li Hanming told Pengpai News reporters that generally speaking, the prevention of clear sky turbulence mainly relies on the front aircraft warning. At present, some Western countries can achieve two aircraft flying on the same route, at the same altitude, and in sequence. When the front aircraft encounters clear air turbulence, it informs the rear aircraft and air traffic control through electronic flight packages and satellite communication networks. However, there is no such application in China. In addition, radar should not be able to detect clear air turbulence. Clear air turbulence is essentially wind, while radar detects objects through their ability to reflect electromagnetic waves. However, the ability of flowing air and stationary air to reflect electromagnetic waves is the same.
"This type of aircraft experience severe turbulence almost every week globally," Chen Jianguo told Pengpai News reporters. "Severe turbulence can cause damage to aircraft equipment, but there are usually no major safety issues.". Aircraft can usually withstand loads of over 3 Gs, and the structure is usually not severely damaged.
"There is no such thing as' wind shear airflow 'as netizens say. There should be four types of low altitude wind shear that can affect aircraft control. Among them, vertical wind shear can make the descent rate of the aircraft too high, which is dangerous. A person in charge of aircraft safety operation in a central airline told Paper News reporters that currently, there are many thunderstorms in summer, unstable airflow in the air, and severe turbulence on the scene is actually normal and common.". But the specific reason for the turbulence of this flight may also need to be combined with the decoding of aircraft QAR data, cockpit recording, and crew feedback investigation.
Chen Jianguo further pointed out that wind shear refers to the horizontal or vertical changes in wind direction or wind speed that occur over a short distance. Li Hanming, on the other hand, stated that wind shear refers to a drastic change in wind direction and speed, usually occurring within a few seconds. Typically, it is difficult for the captain to respond quickly.
How should crew members and passengers cope with aircraft turbulence?
The person in charge of aircraft safety operation in the state-owned aviation company mentioned above told the reporter from Pengpai News, "We will give the crew tips to pay attention to turbulence and prevent it from injuring people. The crew also has corresponding operating procedures. If there are large areas of such turbulence on the weather map, the crew will take corresponding operational measures, such as going up altitude or flying around, etc."
"For passengers, wearing a seat belt is the most important thing." The above personnel explained that even in bumpy situations, airplanes are not prone to accidents. This kind of bumpiness is within the acceptable range for the aircraft body, and it has been considered in the design process. Please do not panic excessively.
Chen Jianguo also stated that there is no need for excessive panic, and it is important to remember that keeping the seat belt fastened on the plane is the safest preventive measure, regardless of whether the seat belt indicator light is on or not.
