Seven passengers aboard a Lufthansa flight that encountered “severe turbulence” over Tennessee have been sent to hospitals in the Washington, DC, area after the plane hijacked at Dulles International Airport.
The husband of a woman during the flight said on Twitter that lightning struck the plane and it fell 1,000 feet.
The Federal Aviation Administration told FOX Business it will now launch an investigation into what happened aboard the Airbus A330 as it flew from Austin, Texas to Frankfurt, Germany Wednesday night.
BREAKING NEWS: 7 airline passengers hospitalized after lightning hits planehttps://t.co/dHTAzdWh6F
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 2, 2023
“Lufthansa Flight 469 was diverted to Dulles International Airport and landed without incident at approximately 9:10 pm local time after the crew reported encountering severe turbulence 37,000 feet above Tennessee,” it said. the FAA in a statement.
The Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority said that after the plane landed in Dulles, “authority personnel responded to the flight and transported seven people to local hospitals.”
A photo shared on Twitter by the man who said his wife was on the flight appeared to show trays and other debris strewn about the cabin.
“People not wearing seatbelts got hurt mostly because it was a surprise,” the user wrote, adding that lightning struck the plane and it fell 1,000 feet. Lufthansa, in a statement to FOX Business, called the turbulence “brief but severe”.
“After the Airbus A330-300 landed, the affected passengers received medical treatment,” the airline said. “Lufthansa ground staff at Dulles is currently looking after the welfare of the passengers and rebooks them accordingly.”
“Lufthansa regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers,” he added. “The safety and well-being of passengers and crew members is always Lufthansa’s top priority.”
