Seven people were sent to a hospital in New York on Friday night after their Boeing plane experienced high turbulence, which resulted in their plane being diverted from its scheduled landing in Newark, New Jersey, to Stewart International Airport in upstate New York.
A total of 22 passengers suffered minor injuries, with 15 people being treated on-site, but seven were sent to a local hospital for observation. The passengers all complained of stomach pain and nausea and chest pains from the turbulence.
“United Airlines Flight 85 landed safely at New York Stewart International Airport around 6:45 p.m. local time on Friday, March 29, after the crew reported a passenger medical emergency,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. “The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information.”
The Boeing 787 took off from Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday morning with more than 300 passengers on board, according to the FAA. The plane was en route to Newark when pilots reported a “go around” due to high winds and turbulence and rerouted to the smaller Stewart International Airport.
The flight has since refueled and landed in Newark, according to United Airlines officials.
“While no passengers experienced serious injuries, we wish them all speedy recoveries and safe travels,” Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said in a statement.
Friday’s incident is just the latest for Boeing, which has been plagued with mechanical errors and safety problems recently. The flurry of incidents even led to the resignation of the company’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, and the exit of the company’s chairman of the board, Larry Kellner, who will not seek reelection.
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It comes as the National Transportation Safety Board and the Department of Justice investigate an incident where the door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
The FAA also released an audit this month that found that the company failed 33 product audits.
