PLANE PANIC
Horror moment plane passengers are sent flying through the air as stomach-churning turbulence leaves two injured
THIS is the shocking moment a packed passenger plane was hit by violent turbulence and passengers were sent soaring into the air.
The Air China flight hit the rough patch at 35,000ft travelling from Shanghai to Beijing on Monday, leaving a crew member and passenger with injuries.
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Flight CA1524 was experiencing an "uneventful flight" until it was suddenly hit by severe turbulence midway through the journey, according to .
The footage captures the moment the plane shakes ferociously and then plunges several hundred feet, flinging at least one passenger and crew member into the air.
Belongings and pillows are sent flying up in the chaos of the two violent and unexpected drops.
In the aftermath of the dramatic moment, terrified passengers cling to their seats as those who were thrown out of theirs rush to strap back in.
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Passenger Xing Lida recalled the traumatic events on Weibo, stating: "The first half of the flight was quite smooth.
"However, in the last 30 to 40 minutes, as people were going back and forth to the restroom, there was a sudden drop that startled everyone."
Another passenger, Xing, said: "I saw a woman in her 40s and a flight attendant covering the woman with her body both thrown to the ceiling.
"The ceiling cracked and the exit sign fell to the floor next to my feet. There are some sprains and superficial injuries," he told The Global Times.
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Xing praised the air stewards for their calm and brave response to the drama, describing how they tried to protect the passengers and then quickly helped the injured.
Air China later announced that one passenger and a flight attendant were taken to a Beijing hospital after the flight landed safely at 5.18pm local time.
Clear air turbulence, known as CAT, is a rare but threatening phenomenon that can take pilots completely by surprise in cloudless regions at any altitude.
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