Dozens injured as Air Canada plane encounters turbulence

Unexpected air turbulence forced an Air Canada flight to make an emergency landing. The plane landed safely in Hawaii but over a dozen passengers suffered injuries as some of them had hit plane's ceiling when the incident occurred.

Honolulu, Hawaii: Dozens of people were injured when an Air Canada flight to Australia encountered unexpected turbulence, forcing the plane to land in Hawaii.

The flight, Boeing 777-200 that was carrying 269 passengers and 15 crew members, from Vancouver to Sydney encountered "un-forecasted and sudden turbulence," about two hours past Hawaii when the plane diverted to Honolulu, Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah said in a statement.

"Current information indicates there are approximately 35 people who appear to have sustained minor injuries," she said.

Emergency responders met the plane at the gate. Honolulu Emergency Services Department wasn't able to immediately provide details about what kinds of injuries were involved.

Passengers told news reporters the turbulence tossed people into the air, some hitting the ceiling.

Passenger Luke Wheeldon told media that about half the passengers weren't wearing seatbelts.
"There was no warning and then half of them, their head hit the roof all at once," he said. "And I went, 'Oh, this is a bad day."

The turbulence happened at 36,000 feet (10,973 meters) about 600 miles (966 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu, said U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.

Air Canada was arranging hotel accommodations and meals in Honolulu and options for resuming the flight, Mah added.

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