A terrified passenger on board a LATAM Airways Boeing jet described experiencing ‘the worst turbulence you could imagine’ after dozens were thrown from their seats mid-flight.
The pilot, Lucas Ellwood, said “everyone was terrified” aboard the flight from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand on Monday, with the latest disaster involving Boeing sending at least 10 to hospital.
“There were people whining all over, there were people hurt all over,” he told Good Morning America. ‘Everybody just hit the roof, they fell to the ground.’
Others compared the chaotic scenes to something out of ‘The Exorcist’ as reports suggest as many as 50 people were injured in the incident.
Passengers aboard a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand were thrown to the ceiling on Monday night amid ‘horrific’ turbulence.
Up to 50 passengers were injured in the chaotic scenes, with 10 hospitalized with head and neck injuries and broken bones
One passenger described enduring ‘the worst kind of turbulence you could imagine’, while others compared dozens of airfields around the cabin to scenes from The Exorcist
The exact cause of the massive turbulence remains unclear, with LATAM Airways only saying in a statement that it came after a ‘technical incident’.
Passengers reportedly suffered head and neck injuries as well as several broken bones, and the airliner said seven passengers and three cabin crew were hospitalized.
Although no one is believed to have been seriously injured, passengers described how the flight went from calm to panic in the blink of an eye.
Many had taken off their seat belts when the journey was calm before it suddenly dropped and shook with turbulence, sending many flying into the ceiling.
“It was like the worst kind of turbulence you could think of,” Ellwood said afterward.
Others described it as something out of a ‘horror movie’ and felt like a roller coaster that dropped without warning.
Despite the alarming incident, the Boeing 737-9 Dreamliner continued its journey as planned and landed in Auckland about 2 hours and 42 minutes after take-off.
In a statement, LATAM Airways confirmed that “some passengers and cabin crew were affected” but did not elaborate on the cause of the incident.
“They received immediate assistance and were evaluated or treated by airport medical personnel as appropriate,” the statement continued.
“LATAM regrets the inconvenience and harm this situation may have caused its passengers and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards.”
A Boeing spokesman told DailyMail.com: ‘We are working to gather more information about the flight and will provide any support our customers need.’
An ambulance leaves Auckland International Airport after a number of passengers were injured
It’s the latest in a series of frightening near misses and air mishaps involving Boeing planes, including when a plug-in door panel burst from an Alaska Airlines flight at 16,000 feet on Jan. 5.
In that incident, over Portland, Oregon, passengers had their phones and clothing ripped off by the turbulence while the pilot made an emergency landing after frantically calling air traffic control.
Boeing’s market value fell by as much as $36 billion in the wake of the Alaska Airlines incident.
And in the past week, Boeing has suffered several repeated accidents that have seen its fleet of 737s come under constant scrutiny.
Last Monday, a United Airlines engine caught fire and burst into flames over Texas, with footage from passengers showing white-hot flashes streaming from the jet mid-flight.
The heart-stopping moment forced the pilot to make an emergency landing, with bubble wrap stuck in the mechanics resulting from the incident, where no injuries were reported.
On Thursday, a wheel from another jet fell off shortly after takeoff in San Francisco, crushing several vehicles below in another near miss that resulted in no injuries.
The next day, a United Airlines flight veered off the runway after landing in Houston, forcing an emergency evacuation onto the tarmac.
The plane suffered what is believed to be some type of gear collapse as it left the runway at George Bush Airport, although the 160 passengers and six crew members were not injured.