Lufthansa flight diverted after "significant turbulence"; several passengers were taken to hospital

FILE PHOTO.

A Lufthansa Boeing 747 flies over Frankfurt, Germany, on August 1, 2022. (Credit: Daniel Roland/AFP/Getty Images/FILE)

(CNN) --

A Lufthansa flight traveling from Texas to Germany was diverted to Virginia at Washington Dulles International Airport on Wednesday night due to severe turbulence that left some passengers injured, an airport spokesperson said.

Lufthansa Flight 469, which took off from Austin, experienced "significant turbulence" and landed safely at Dulles, said Michael Cabbage, a spokesman for the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority.

Seven people were transported to hospitals, Cabbage said.

Brief but severe turbulence occurred about 90 minutes after takeoff and resulted in minor injuries to some passengers, a statement given to CNN by a Lufthansa spokesperson said.

“This was so-called clear air turbulence, which can occur without visible weather phenomena or advance warning,” the statement added.

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“Affected passengers were initially cared for on board by flight attendants trained for such cases.

Since the safety and well-being of passengers and crew members is the top priority at all times, the cabin crew decided to make an alternate landing at (Dulles Airport) after flying through turbulence."

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The Airbus A330 crew reported encountering the turbulence at an altitude of 37,000 feet above Tennessee, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN.

The flight landed at Dulles Airport around 9:10 p.m. local time, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The FAA will investigate the incident, Gregor said.

"The plane increased altitude, then we dropped 1,000 feet"

Susan Zimmerman was among the passengers aboard Flight 469 when the turbulence struck Wednesday.

Zimmerman, who is from Austin and is five months pregnant, told CNN she had just finished eating and was about to go to the bathroom when the turbulence struck.

“During the dinner service, all of a sudden there was wind shear, the plane increased in altitude, then we dropped 300 meters,” he said.

"It was like an unexpected free fall for five seconds from the top of a roller coaster, the dishes and glassware were on the ceiling, and my bag, which was on the floor, flew behind me to the right."

The woman said that on two occasions the plane felt like it was suddenly going down and she could hear people screaming and glass breaking.

"I'm glad for the most part that we're all okay," said the woman, adding that she thought she was going to give birth to her baby because of the stress of the moment.

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Once the plane was stabilized, Zimmerman said dinning service items were scattered throughout the cabin as if there had been a food fight.

Zimmerman was not hurt, she said, but she saw that others had been hurt.

After the plane landed, first responders boarded the flight and treated the injured, she said.

Zimmerman was offered medical treatment and an evaluation, but said she was fine, adding that her unborn baby must have been asleep during the ordeal because she started kicking and was active again 20 minutes later.

The airline offered Zimmerman a hotel voucher and has booked her on a new flight that leaves this Thursday, he said.

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