In December of 2022, Flight UA1722 from Maui to San Francisco was reported by media to have plunged half of its altitude in a matter of seconds due to severe turbulence. Just last week, a Lufthansa flight from Austin, TX to Germany reportedly fell thousands of feet, sending seven people to the hospital for injuries after an emergency landing.
Is this just sensationalized reporting by the media, or do commercial jets actually plummet from the sky and recover just before crashing? Why and how does this happen?
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Sorry if my comment isn’t actually an answer to your question, but for a while I had a little anxiety of flying and the media is to blame.
They take every little incident involving planes and make REALLY big.
Everytime that you hear about an aviation incident, try to look on YouTube for some quality information, like reports ou Captains interviews. Most of the time you realize news channel blow those occurrences way out of proportion just for visibility.
It took me some time but now I follow some really nice aviation channels on YT, traveled some intercontinental flights without any anxiety thanks for them.
Sorry if my comment isn’t actually an answer to your question, but for a while I had a little anxiety of flying and the media is to blame.
They take every little incident involving planes and make REALLY big.
Everytime that you hear about an aviation incident, try to look on YouTube for some quality information, like reports ou Captains interviews. Most of the time you realize news channel blow those occurrences way out of proportion just for visibility.
It took me some time but now I follow some really nice aviation channels on YT, traveled some intercontinental flights without any anxiety thanks for them.
Yes, it can happen. My father worked for an airline when I was very young, back in the early 90s. I remember jumping on a flight with him to go to a meeting. I was asleep when the plane hit some turbulence, and woke up to people screaming, oxygen masks dropped, and luggage all over the cabin. I did what any 4 year old would do, and went back to my nap. Apparently we dropped something close to 1000 feet.
It depends on the phenomenon but turbulence can cause a significant loss of altitude. If you are humming along in consistent air pressure and hit a huge pocket of turbulence, which means the air is going up or down along a gradient (basically the air is a different temperature) the plane can and does drop. Usually this is measured in a hundred feet or so, it can be so bad as to be a thousand feet.
The other phenomenon that happens is a micro burst, which could account for UA1722 but they are approaching that as pilot error.
Yes, it can happen. My father worked for an airline when I was very young, back in the early 90s. I remember jumping on a flight with him to go to a meeting. I was asleep when the plane hit some turbulence, and woke up to people screaming, oxygen masks dropped, and luggage all over the cabin. I did what any 4 year old would do, and went back to my nap. Apparently we dropped something close to 1000 feet.
Yes, it can happen. My father worked for an airline when I was very young, back in the early 90s. I remember jumping on a flight with him to go to a meeting. I was asleep when the plane hit some turbulence, and woke up to people screaming, oxygen masks dropped, and luggage all over the cabin. I did what any 4 year old would do, and went back to my nap. Apparently we dropped something close to 1000 feet.
It depends on the phenomenon but turbulence can cause a significant loss of altitude. If you are humming along in consistent air pressure and hit a huge pocket of turbulence, which means the air is going up or down along a gradient (basically the air is a different temperature) the plane can and does drop. Usually this is measured in a hundred feet or so, it can be so bad as to be a thousand feet.
The other phenomenon that happens is a micro burst, which could account for UA1722 but they are approaching that as pilot error.
It depends on the phenomenon but turbulence can cause a significant loss of altitude. If you are humming along in consistent air pressure and hit a huge pocket of turbulence, which means the air is going up or down along a gradient (basically the air is a different temperature) the plane can and does drop. Usually this is measured in a hundred feet or so, it can be so bad as to be a thousand feet.
The other phenomenon that happens is a micro burst, which could account for UA1722 but they are approaching that as pilot error.
In short, the wings of an airplane float over the air just like a boat over water. Turbulence is a disruption of this air. Think of it like large rogue waves in the ocean that can capsize a ship. It can cause a plane to drop dramatic altitude and shake.
It’s very scary to some people, but the odds of crashing are lower than getting into a car accident. Once the plane flies out of the turbulence, the air will stabilize and the wings will regain its lift. You’re safe.
In short, the wings of an airplane float over the air just like a boat over water. Turbulence is a disruption of this air. Think of it like large rogue waves in the ocean that can capsize a ship. It can cause a plane to drop dramatic altitude and shake.
It’s very scary to some people, but the odds of crashing are lower than getting into a car accident. Once the plane flies out of the turbulence, the air will stabilize and the wings will regain its lift. You’re safe.
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