43 injured on Northwest Airlines plane due to turbulence

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NARITA, Japan, Feb. 20 Kyodo -
Forty-three people were injured Friday when a Northwest Airlines passenger
plane from Manila was hit by turbulence while circling above waters off Chiba
Prefecture awaiting permission to land at Narita airport, officials said.
One person was seriously injured with a broken neck, the transport ministry
said, based on its investigation. It revised the number of injured passengers
and crew members, who have been taken to hospitals near the airport, following
several conflicting reports.
The Japan Transport Safety Board, meanwhile, has sent three officials to the
airport to investigate the incident after being informed that the Boeing
747-400, with 408 passengers and 14 crew members aboard, landed at the airport
at around 12:20 p.m. without declaring an emergency.
Officials of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry also said
the airplane did not notify air traffic controllers that it had encountered
turbulence, which is believed to have occurred about half an hour before the
landing, or that people on board were injured.
An emergency declaration enables controllers to guide the airplane to the
nearest airport while calling for rescue workers to address the situation
quickly by preparing ambulances and engaging in other emergency activities.
Northwest Airlines said the pilot asked for transfers of the injured via an
in-house radio system shortly before landing.
''The crew apparently did not think it was an emergency situation because only
two people were lying on the floor when they realized what happened,'' an
official of the airline said. The airline said the ''fasten seatbelt'' light
was turned on when the plane was hit by turbulence.
Vincent Salazar, a 55-year-old American passenger, said there were screams when
the plane suddenly descended and then made an ascent about 30 minutes before
landing. Some people who did not have their seatbelts fastened hit their heads
on the ceiling and injured their necks.
''It really happened so fast and it was over,'' Salazar said. ''We were flying
and then the seatbelt sign came on and when we were trying to get back to the
seats, the plane dropped and so some people went up and hit the top
(ceiling).''
''I actually was pretty calm because I've flown a lot, but the lady next to me
was screaming...And unfortunately some people weren't in their seatbelts. They
were just flying.''
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a low pressure system was
developing and moving eastward off the eastern Japan region at the time of the
incident, creating large thunderclouds that can cause turbulence.
Officials at several airlines said airplanes normally divert around such
clouds, but it is often difficult for them to be detected by radar at this time
of year. A Japan Airlines official told Kyodo News that some pilots who were
flying near the same area at 11 a.m. began reporting ''strong jolts.''
==Kyodo
2009-02-20 20:46:54