A routine flight to India turned into a midair nightmare when violent turbulence sent passengers crashing into the ceiling, leaving at least 12 people injured and damaging the inside of the plane.
The Air India Airbus A320 was traveling from Phuket, Thailand, to Delhi on Tuesday when it suddenly plunged roughly 90 minutes after takeoff.
The terrifying drop reportedly happened while the aircraft was cruising at altitude with 134 passengers and crew members on board.
Those who were not wearing their seatbelts were thrown upward by the force, with several smashing their heads against the cabin roof.
The impact was so severe that cracks were reportedly left inside the aircraft.
Shocking video from the flight showed frightened passengers gripping their seats as the plane shook. One man could be seen wearing a sling around his arm following the frightening ordeal.
A passenger later said the aircraft shook violently for approximately two to three minutes and appeared to tilt during the incident.
Many travelers had reportedly been asleep when the turbulence struck, giving them little or no time to react.
Despite the chaos inside the cabin, the pilots managed to regain control of the aircraft and safely land at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 11 a.m. local time.
Emergency crews and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac when the plane touched down.
Injured passengers and crew members were wheeled from the aircraft, with some seen wearing bandages around their heads.
They were taken to Medanta Medical Center in Gurugram, southwest of New Delhi, for treatment.
One patient is believed to have suffered a spinal fracture, although Air India said no serious injuries had been officially reported “as of now.”
The airline described the incident as a “brief turbulence-related event” caused by a sudden change in altitude while the aircraft was cruising.
Crew members were eventually able to stabilize the plane and continue toward Delhi.
An Air India spokesperson said the safety and well-being of passengers and crew remained the airline’s highest priority.
The company also promised to provide “necessary support” to those affected and said it would fully cooperate with authorities investigating the incident.
The terrifying episode comes just over a year after an Air India passenger jet crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was headed to London Gatwick on June 12 when it crashed into a medical college just 32 seconds after leaving the runway.
A total of 241 people aboard the aircraft were killed, along with 19 people on the ground.
British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the sole passenger to survive. Of those aboard, 53 were British citizens.
A preliminary investigation found that two fuel switches used to start or shut down the engines had moved from “Run” to “Cutoff” moments before the crash, starving both engines of fuel.
The report also revealed confusion inside the cockpit as Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and 28-year-old co-pilot Clive Kunder realized what had happened.
The pilots desperately attempted to move the switches back into position, but the aircraft went down before they could recover.
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