American Airlines Flight AA206 Turbulence Injuries, Highlight Importance of Seatbelts

American Airlines Flight AA206 which departed from Miami International Airport with Destination Milan was diverted to St. John’s International Airport due to reported injuries onboard. Airport representatives present reported injuries were due to in-flight turbulence.

The latest update, from ABC confirmed with American Airlines was that 4 passengers and 3 crew members were injured. They have been transported to St. John’s Canada area hospital.

For relatives and friends: Delta hotel website here. 

After evaluations, four passengers were determined not to have injuries serious enough to required hospital care. “By late Monday morning, the [remaining] two passengers and one flight attendant had been released from hospital in St. John’s,” an American Airlines official told CBC News.

A replacement plane was dispatched to St. John`s from Dallas-Ft. Worth with a new crew and customer service representatives. 

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What you need to know about staying safe during turbulence in flight. 

Air turbulence is as inevitable as the weather. Though all efforts are made to avoid it, sometimes it can be more severe than predicted, or it can be so-called clear-air turbulence, invisible to pilots. Either in its intensity or its occurrence, turbulence can surprise both passengers and crew.

It is always advisable to keep your seatbelt on during the flight while you are seated or sleeping, even if the fasten seatbelt light is turned off.

Cabin crew are at great risk of injuries during these events because their duties require them to be up and about the cabin. IATA advises that crew should take all necessary precautions to protect themselves when flight conditions make continued in-flight service hazardous.

Learn more about the various types of turbulence explained by CASA here.