Alaska Airlines Crew, Passenger Injured During Severe Turbulence

An Alaska Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence during a flight into Phoenix during the busy holiday travel week, leaving multiple crew members and a passenger injured, according to an airline spokesperson.

Flight 700 had left Seattle just before noon PT Thursday and was about an hour and 45 minutes into its 2.5-hour flight when the severe turbulence hit. Flight tracking data from FlightAware.com showed the Boeing 737 MAX 9 recorded a drop of just over 200 feet in 30 seconds.

The plane landed safely in Phoenix at 3:10 p.m. MT (2:10 p.m. PT) and “several crew members and one guest received medical attention,” according to the Alaska spokesperson. The airline did not provide any additional information on the injuries, citing patient privacy.

The airline didn’t provide any details about what might have triggered the turbulence. FlightAware.com reports the incident occurred as the plane was at around 33,000 feet just passing near Las Vegas, which was reporting cloud ceilings at 16,000 and 25,000 feet but otherwise calm weather. (Read more from “Alaska Airlines Crew, Passenger Injured During Severe Turbulence” HERE)

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