Depending on the size and the model, the average
commercial airplane can weigh between 50,000 and 400,000 pounds. Apparently, it
is no match for the fury that Mother Nature can occasionally unleash.
We are seeing that now all across the Midwest in the
United States with the unusual amount of storms that are producing tornadoes
and other savage weather.
It’s happening
in the air as well.
Qatar Airways was the victim of severe turbulence on
one of its flights that injured 12 passengers. The incident comes just days
after a Singapore Airlines flight suffered the same fate with 104 injured,
including a man who died of a heart attack.
Qatar said in a statement the plane did make a safe
emergency landing, but that a small number of passengers and crew suffered
minor injuries. The flight on Sunday was headed from Doha to Dublin. It
experienced the turbulence while flying over Turkey.
Turbulence is not uncommon, but its severity can
vary. Different conditions all have to
merge together, which is why, for instance, forecasters are calling for an
unusually high number of storms during the upcoming
Atlantic hurricane season.
In the case of air travel, this is apparently a
phenomenon known as ‘clear air turbulence.’ There are no signs or storms or
anything ominous that it is about to hit.
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