A Southwest Airlines plane headed for Chicago was forced to turn around after hitting turbulence so severe that some passengers on board vomited, passed out, and members of the flight crew were left injured.
Southwest Airlines Flight 147 had only been in the air about 10 minutes Monday night after departing from Boston Logan International Airport traveling to Midway International Airport, when the plane hit the bad turbulence around 9:20 p.m. local time, flight officials said.
Many of the 133 passengers on board told NBC 5 it felt as if the plane had been falling before it “suddenly stopped.”
Witnesses reported the impact of the turbulence to be so severe that some people on the flight started throwing up and others passed out, prompting the pilot to ask for help from those with a medical history on board.
“I helped one of the flight attendants [then] went back to the seat,” said Dr. Nathaniel George, a podiatrist on Chicago’s South Side. “I think somebody yelled out. Another passenger got nauseous … Then they said they had to turn the plane around."
A Chicago nurse was among the many who jumped in to help.
“There was another girl passed out, there was about four to five people throwing up,” nurse Sherry Sanchez said. “The other flight attendant fell into the side of a chair, hurt his arm, but he didn’t break it … It was pretty scary for everybody on the plane."
Local
The pilot immediately initiated an air turnback to take the plane back to Boston Logan International Airport.
Upon arrival, the passengers deplaned with no serious passenger injuries reported, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said, but two members of the flight crew were transported to a local hospital to be treated. The extent of their injuries were not immediately made available.
Despite the chaos, many passengers told NBC 5 everyone managed to remain calm.
“Thankfully there were a lot of people able to help,” said Chicago Public Schools teacher Angela Gordon. “Everyone came together and supported one another, but we’re all exhausted.”
Southwest Airlines brought in a new flight crew once back in Boston before placing the passengers on a different plane before taking off once again and arriving at their intended destination of Chicago’s Midway Airport about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, nearly five hours later than planned.
