Though the flight did make a safe landing in Philadelphia, its final destination, many of the shocked passengers described people "hitting the ceiling" as the plane shook and dropped in altitude just minutes after flight attendants passed out drinks.
Speaking to WPVI, Alex Ehmke, one of the 287 passengers on the flight, said "there was just a very slight turbulence for about five seconds and then suddenly it felt like the whole plane was in a free fall."
"Thirty minutes out. They were giving us our drinks. The flight attendants were in the last couple rows when they said 'fasten your seat belts,'" Ian Smith told WPVI, a local ABC affiliate. "And then they said for the flight attendants to get to their seats, and they didn't even have time. It started sharking, then it took a big drop. Babies screaming, people in front of us [were] hitting the ceiling."
— Ervin Fang (@efnov6) August 6, 2017
The sudden jolt led Ervin Fang, a Los Angeles-based doctor on board, to provide medical assistance to a crew member who dislocated his shoulder when he was thrown about.
While the turbulence was brief, lasting just a few seconds, it was enough to hospitalize three passengers and seven members of the flight crew once the bird landed at Philadelphia International Airport. According to American Airlines, they were all released by Sunday morning. The popular airliner said in a press release that "the seatbelt sign was on at the time."
— Ervin Fang (@efnov6) August 6, 2017
As it turns out, the severity of the turbulence surprised even the pilot.
— Ervin Fang (@efnov6) August 6, 2017
"We really apologize for the unexpected bumpiness," the pilot said in Fang’s Twitter video. "We were expecting some light turbulence… it was totally unexpected."
Passengers’ belongings ended up scattered, and drinks were splattered across seats and even the plane’s ceiling.
— Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) August 5, 2017
"We are taking care of our passengers and our crew members at this time and want to thank our team members for keeping our passengers safe," American Airlines stated.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the incident.
