PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Two passengers and two flight attendants were injured by turbulence on a flight that landed Wednesday at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida, according to officials.
The Allegiant flight, coming from Asheville, North Carolina, was carrying 179 passengers and six crew members, according to the airline.
Paul Harris was on the flight and said he’s never experienced anything like it.
“There was a sudden burst of turbulence and then major, major turbulence,” Harris said. “The plane felt like it dropped pretty considerably. Several people, including a lady in my row, hit the ceiling.”
He said multiple people were placed on stretchers before being taken off the plane.
Another passenger, Lisa Spriggs, called the experience “petrifying.”
“She was literally like Matrix,” Spriggs said, describing the moment she saw a passenger tossed from her seat. “Watched her go up in the air, and just land straight down. She broke her ankle. Another stewardess in the back broke her ankle, bone was protruding.”
The flight dropped from about 18,000 feet to 13,000 feet in less than two minutes, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.
In a statement to Nexstar’s WFLA, Allegiant said the flight “experienced severe turbulence before landing,” but was able to land normally and reach the gate “under its own power.”
“Airport paramedics met the plane to assess two passengers and two flight attendants for injuries. They were transported to the hospital for further evaluation,” Allegiant added. “We will continue to investigate the incident in coordination with the FAA and NTSB and will provide more information as soon as it becomes available. No additional details can be confirmed at this time.”
Turbulence, which is unstable air in the atmosphere, remains a cause of injury for airline passengers despite airline safety improvements.
Earlier this year, a former White House official died after the business jet she was traveling on encountered severe turbulence. The flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut.
Just days earlier, seven people were taken to hospitals in Washington, D.C. after their plane, flying from Austin, Texas, to Germany, suffered significant turbulence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.