Air travellers should buckle up

TSB EMPHASIZES IMPORTANCE OF SEATBELTS AFTER SEVERE TURBULENCE INCIDENT

The Transportation Safety Board warned air travellers of the importance of wearing seatbelts as it released a report Monday that found a failure to buckle up left 21 people injured when a Toronto-bound flight hit severe turbulence in December 2015.

The incident took place on an Air Canada flight travelling from Shanghai to Toronto when the Boeing 777 hit severe turbulence over Alaska.

“Most of the passengers who were physically injured were aware that they were required to wear their seatbelts, but chose not to,” the TSB said. “The injuries resulted from passengers coming into contact with aircraft furnishings, the ceiling, and the floor of the interior.”

The flight carrying 332 passengers and 19 crew members was expected to take 13 hours and 40 minutes to complete its journey.

During the flight, a bulletin sent from Air Canada’s dispatch service warned of a forecasted area of severe turbulence along the route, northeast of Anchorage, Alaska. About 35 minutes before the plane entered the area, the first officer directed cabin crew to stop service and secure the cabin.

Flight attendants secured all service carts, made announcements in multiple languages asking passengers to fasten their seatbelts and walked the cabin to check that seatbelts were fastened, the TSB said. The lighting in the cabin at the time was in “sleep mode” — a dim setting, the TSB said.

Just before the flight entered the area of turbulence, a passenger in business class got up to use the washroom, despite being told to return to their seat. When the first batch of turbulence occurred, the passenger was thrown up to the ceiling and onto the floor, the TSB said.

A second phase of turbulence took place that was “light to moderate,” followed by a third phase that was “moderate to severe” during which the majority of the injuries occurred, the TSB said.