An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N751AN performing flight AA-280 from Seoul (South Korea) to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) with 240 passengers and 15 crew, was enroute at FL340 at around 13:00Z about 2 hours into the Pacific crossing northeast of Japan when the crew decided to turn around and divert to Tokyo's Narita Airport (Japan) after having encountered turbulence causing injuries to 12 people on board. The aircraft landed safely at Narita Airport about 2.5 hours later. One cabin crew and a passenger received serious, two cabin crew and eight passengers received minor injuries. The injured were taken to hospitals.
Japan's Ministry of Transport reported 10 passengers and 4 crew received injuries believed to be minor.
Passengers reported the upset involving several serious terrifying bumps lasted for about 45 seconds, loose items went flying within the cabin and impacted the cabin ceiling.
On Dec 18th 2014 Japan's TSB reported the aircraft was maintaining 8200 meters/FL270 out of Seoul, when in the "sky between Ishikawa and Ibaraki Prefecture" just about northwest of Tokyo, the aircraft experienced an upset. Later the aircraft changed destination to divert to Tokyo Narita, where the aircraft landed on Dec 17th 00:55L (Dec 16th 15:55Z) about 6.5 hours later. 3 cabin crew received injuries, one of them a left should fracture (serious injury), 9 passengers received injuries, one of them a cervical spinal fracture (serious injury). An investigation has been opened.
Radar data show the aircraft climbed to FL270 initially reaching FL270 about 50nm east of Seoul, still over South Korea, and continued at FL270 over a distance of about 600nm until about 70nm north of Tokyo, when the aircraft climbed to FL340. While overflying the mountain ridge at Nagano (Japan) at FL270 at approximately 10:27Z (19:27L) the radar data show the aircraft at 27050 and 26950 feet, while otherwise the aircraft showed altitudes consistently between 26975 and 27000 feet. At about 10:37Z the aircraft left FL270 to climb to FL340.
RAW VIDEO: More than 12 injured as American Airlines flight hits turbulence and is diverted to Japan
Clear air turbulence is a bitch. And again, just keeping the seatbelt on while seated just tooooo uncomfortable....
