Scary Moment As Plane Carrying 145 People Drops 300ft in Turbulence, Details Emerge
- An Air India Airbus A320 carrying 137 passengers and 8 crew members hit severe turbulence over Odisha on August 4, 2026
- The aircraft was cruising at around 36,000ft when it experienced a sudden 300ft drop in altitude before landing safely in Delhi
- Passengers described the terrifying ordeal, with one unnamed traveller saying a baby was among those hurt during the incident
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An Air India flight travelling from Phuket to Delhi plunged approximately 300 feet after encountering severe turbulence during its journey on 4 August 2025, leaving at least 12 people with injuries.
Source: UGC
Flight AI2379, an Airbus A320 carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members, was, according to reports, cruising at around 36,000 feet over the eastern Indian state of Odisha when the turbulence struck.
The aircraft ultimately landed safely at Delhi's airport, where ambulances had been stationed at the terminal gate to receive the injured.
Flight passengers and crew taken for assessment
Air India confirmed the incident in an official statement, describing it as "a brief in-flight turbulence-related event during cruise, resulting in a momentary change in altitude."
The airline added that it was "providing all necessary support to those affected" and cooperating with authorities as part of an ongoing investigation by India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Although the airline declined to specify the number of injured, local media reported that two crew members and 10 passengers were taken to a medical facility at the airport for precautionary care.
Images circulating from the scene showed several individuals being wheeled out in chairs, some with bandages on their heads.
Airline passengers describe the frightening experience
One unnamed passenger who spoke to local news agency ANI recounted waking up mid-flight to chaos.
"The flight had been in the air for about an hour and a half. It was early in the morning, and we were sleeping. Suddenly, the aircraft tilted and kept moving like that for around two to three minutes," the passenger said.
The same traveller added that a baby was among those hurt.
"Nearly 15 to 20 passengers have been injured. Someone's baby got hurt. My lower back was hurt. My brother was hurt on his shoulder and back," they said, noting that fuller details would emerge once the medico-legal report was compiled.
Altitude tracking platform Flightradar24 confirmed the aircraft lost altitude at some point before it reached the Indian capital.
Turbulence remains one of the most common causes of in-flight injuries. Data from the International Civil Aviation Organisation shows that roughly 40 per cent of severe injuries sustained by passengers in 2023 were turbulence-related.
The Instagram post below contains footage from inside the Air India plane during the turbulence incident.
Netizens' reactions to Air India turbulence incident
The incident drew significant attention online, with many people weighing in on the experience of the passengers and crew.
@jhansiranivedachalam shared:
"At this point, why would ppl even book air india 🤷🏻♀️."
@binder_kunal wrote:
"Shoutout to the flight crew for holding down the fort at 36,000ft. Can't imagine how stressful that was! 👏"
@artist.anjanaa noted:
"Should thankful to pilot👨✈️️👨✈️️👨✈️️ rather saying good Or bad... And say Thank you to God that all are safe✈️✈️."
@mavourneenloresian added:
"Shoutout to the crew keeping it together up at 36k feet. That stress must've been insane! 👏."
@jay_g10x shared:
"All those people saying that this is an airline problem, Singapore Airlines also had the same incident and many others it's not an airline problem."
Source: UGC
Three die in plane crash in Maryland
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a search-and-rescue operation for a missing private plane ended in tragedy early June 21, 2026, after rescue teams found the wreckage of the aircraft, which contained three remains in a wooded area near a Maryland residential neighbourhood.
The single-engine Piper Cherokee was carrying three individuals when it went down in the woods near Bowie, Maryland, a suburb located outside Washington, D.C.
Officials confirmed that the pilot and both passengers aboard the aircraft were pronounced dead immediately after emergency responders located the crash site.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
