American Airlines Flight Experiences “Extreme Turbulence,” Sends 10 Passengers and Crew to Hospital

10 people have been hospitalized after an American Airlines flight experienced extreme, unexpected turbulence.

American Airlines Flight 759, flying from Athens, Greece to Philadelphia, eventually landed safely at its intended destination. But reporter Jessica Huseman, who was on board the flight, documented the extreme turbulence that came without warning, tweeting that one unlucky flight attendant dislocated his shoulder.

“We all used our fleece blankets to mop the ceiling of the plane down after drinks went flying,” she added.

Action News, a Philadelphia ABC affiliate, spoke to another passenger, Ian Smith, who painted a chaotic picture of what happened inside the aircraft.

“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.’ And then they said for the flight attendants to get to their seats, and they didn’t even have time. It started shaking, then it took a big drop. Babies screaming, people in front of us hitting the ceiling,” said Smith.

There was a total of 287 passengers and 12 crew members on board. Of the 10 injured, three were passengers and seven were crew members.

American Airlines released the following statement:

“American Airlines flight 759 from Athens, Greece to Philadelphia International Airport briefly encountered severe turbulence shortly before landing safely in Philadelphia. The seat belt sign was on at the time. Three passengers and seven crew members were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. 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.”