Scandinavian Airlines flight that departed from Stockholm to Miami had to return after severe incident over the North Atlantic
A Scandinavian Airlines flight () with 254 people on board had to land in Copenhagen, Denmark, after facing severe turbulence over the North Atlantic on Thursday (14 March 2024).
Flight SAS 957 had taken off from Stockholm at 12:55 pm (local time) bound for Miami, a journey that normally takes 9 hours.
Videos shared on social media show passengers screaming and objects being thrown inside the cabin during the incident, which occurred over the Greenland region.
“After turbulence of this magnitude, safety procedures dictate that the plane undergo a thorough inspection”the company spokesperson told .
The company reported that the decision to return to Europe was made because the company does not have the infrastructure to carry out the necessary inspection in Miami.
SAS provided accommodation for the passengers, who were transferred to flights to Miami on Friday (15 March 2024).
According to the United States National Transportation Safety Board (), turbulence is the leading cause of injury incidents in commercial aviation. However, deaths are rare events, with only 3 recorded between 1980 and 2009, and none since on commercial flights.
In a recent case, on Tuesday (12 March 2024), 11 people were injured during a flight between Buenos Aires and Frankfurt after strong turbulence over the Atlantic.
