Social media video (below) shows objects flying and passengers screaming as they bounced in their seats when a Scandinavian Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence over Greenland on Thursday.
SAS flight SK957 was en route from Stockholm to Miami when the incident occurred.
The airline said the plane returned to Europe to undergo inspection in Copenhagen rather than continuing to Miami, citing a lack of staffing stateside for the necessary protocol.
“We confirm that flight SK957 from ARN to MIA yesterday encountered severe turbulence over Greenland. Following such turbulence, standard safety procedures require a thorough inspection of the aircraft,” an airline spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement. “Since SAS do not have the necessary facilities and staff for this level of inspection in MIA, we decided to reroute the aircraft to Copenhagen (CPH), where both hangar space and qualified technicians were available. Flying the aircraft to MIA would have resulted in it being grounded for an extended period, leading to multiple cancellations.”
No severe injuries were reported as a result of the turbulence, and SAS said all passengers were accommodated overnight in Copenhagen and rebooked on other flights.
What to know:Turbulence is getting worse, but deaths are very rare.
Incidents of severe turbulence are becoming more frequent due to climate change. While flying remains an extremely safe way to travel, passengers should heed advice from cabin crew to keep their seatbelt fastened whenever they are seated, and to always obey the seatbelt sign and remain buckled in whenever it is illuminated. A seatbelt is the first line of defense against turbulence-related injuries.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.