In a horrifying incident, passengers and crew of a US carrier, Allegiant Airlines, suffered severe injuries and were left with "broken bones" after a flight from North Carolina to Florida experienced severe turbulence which many people linked to the flying scene in the movie 'The Matrix', as per a report in the Independent.
The plane was carrying 179 passengers and six crew members, out of which four were injured. As per the outlet, Allegiant Airlines Flight 227 took off from North Carolina on July 12 and hit "powerful turbulence" on its way to Florida's St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. During the incident, one flight attendant was flung into the air and was later thrown back on the plane's floor. Meanwhile, a passenger who had gone to use the lavatory before the start of the turbulence came out with blood "gushing" from her skull.
As per the airline, it "landed normally and taxied to the gate under its own power". At the gate, medical personnel were waiting to attend to those who were injured. Two passengers and two flight attendants were taken to the hospital and the extent of their injuries is still unknown.
Lisa Spriggs, a passenger on the flight, said that the experience was "petrifying" and looked like a scene from a sci-fi movie. She told CBS News that the flight attendant was standing next to her when she was thrown into the air. "More than halfway through descending, and all of a sudden, we hit a small turbulence, and the stewardess beside us fell to the ground. Literally, she flew up in the air, like 'Matrix' is the only way that I can think to describe it, was there for half-a-second, and then landed straight down, broke her ankle," Ms Spriggs said.
Another passenger told the outlet, "Some lady was in the bathroom during the time of the turbulence, and she came out and sat down behind me and she had a huge laceration on her right eyebrow, gushing out blood."
According to Allegiant Airlines, they are investigating the event "in coordination" with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration. The NTSB, on the other hand, told CBS News that it was "monitoring the situation" and has not yet initiated an inquiry.
