A plane passenger whose leg “snapped in half” when the plane was hit by turbulence while returning from the toilet had to endure six hours of agony before reaching his destination.
Niko broke two bones in his leg just 30 minutes into a seven-hour flight from Bali to New Zealand on Tuesday.
Niko and Sasha, a German couple who have lived in Bali for 13 years, flew with Air New Zealand from Denpasar to Auckland to begin a planned month-long holiday.
That all changed when the plane encountered turbulence and suddenly “tumbled” as Niko returned to his seat.
A friend who was waiting to pick up the couple at the airport said he fractured his tibia and fibula in the incident.
Niko (pictured) was transported to Middlemore Hospital with a fractured tibia and fibula.
“His leg practically broke in half,” the friend said. The New Zealand Herald.
As the plane continued towards Auckland, Niko endured six and a half hours of agony with only Panadol slightly relieving the pain.
“The crew asked some passengers to get up from their seats so he could lie down during the rest,” his friend said.
It is known that the pilot later left the cockpit to check on the passengers after the strong turbulence.
Hato Hone St John paramedics were waiting at the international terminal to treat Niko when the plane landed at 5.40am on Wednesday.
Niko and Sasha, a German couple who have lived in Bali for 13 years, boarded an Air New Zealand flight from Denpasar to Auckland on Tuesday night.
He was then taken to Middlemore Hospital.
Air New Zealand confirmed the incident occurred when the plane encountered “clear air turbulence.”
These are severe wind turbulences that occur in cloudless regions that pilots cannot see and radars do not detect, causing violent buffeting of an aircraft.
WhatsNew2Day Australia has contacted the airline for further comment.