At least 12 people were injured after an Air India flight encountered severe turbulence and suddenly dropped hundreds of feet, throwing unbuckled passengers into the cabin ceiling.
The Airbus A320 was traveling from Phuket, Thailand, to Delhi, India, on Tuesday when the terrifying incident unfolded about 90 minutes into the flight.
Air India said the aircraft experienced a sudden change in altitude before the pilots regained control. Flight data reportedly showed the plane plunging approximately 300 feet.
There were 134 people aboard the aircraft.
Passengers who were not wearing seatbelts were thrown from their seats during the violent drop. Videos recorded inside the cabin showed cracks in the ceiling where passengers reportedly struck their heads, along with a damaged overhead storage bin.
The flight landed safely at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at approximately 11 a.m. local time.
Ambulances and emergency crews were waiting at the airport when the aircraft arrived. Injured passengers and crew members were taken to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram for medical treatment.
One person was reportedly suspected of suffering a spinal fracture. However, Air India said no life-threatening injuries had been reported.
The incident comes less than two months after an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed near Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including 19 people on the ground. Only one person aboard the aircraft survived.
A preliminary investigation into that disaster found that the plane’s engine fuel switches had moved into the “cutoff” position shortly after takeoff, causing both engines to lose power.
Authorities are still investigating exactly how and why the switches were moved.
The latest turbulence scare is also under investigation, though the aircraft was able to land safely and everyone aboard was able to leave the plane.