Authorities are investigating after a passenger aboard a private jet died from injuries inflicted last week during a spell of severe turbulence, which hit the aircraft as it flew over New England and forced it to land before reaching its destination.
In a statement emailed to Fortune on Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that it had launched an investigation after an air passenger died from injuries sustained during a “turbulence event.”
The incident occurred on March 3 when the aircraft was flying from Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene, N.H., to Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia.
The Bombardier Challenger 300 jet, which had five people on board, had to be diverted to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., to evade a spate of severe turbulence.
It was diverted at around 4 p.m. local time on Friday.
According to data from FlightAware, the plane was in the air for just 25 minutes before landing in Connecticut, and was diverted 15 minutes after its departure.
Despite the plane landing early to escape the choppy route, the turbulence resulted in “fatal injuries” for one of the plane’s passengers, according to the NTSB. The passenger has not been identified.
A spokesperson for the NTSB said the aircraft was currently secured at Bradley airport, where it made its emergency landing.
“NTSB investigators have removed the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder and are continuing to gather information from the flight crew, operator, and passengers about the circumstances of the flight,” the spokesperson said, adding that a preliminary report would be published in two to three weeks.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a separate statement emailed to Fortune on Monday that it would assist with the NTSB’s investigation. A spokesperson for Connecticut State Police told media outlets that the FBI was also investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The aircraft is owned by the Kansas City–based company Conexon, which provides internet services to rural communities.
“We can confirm an aircraft owned by Conexon was involved in an incident that required an emergency landing,” a spokesperson for the firm said in a statement on Monday. “The reported fatality was not a Conexon employee. We ask for privacy for the family members of those involved.”
Is turbulence dangerous?
Turbulence is a common and usually safe phenomenon that affects many flights. It occurs when atmospheric pressure, jet streams, air around mountains, cold or warm weather, or thunderstorms cause air movement, and sudden jolts can cause injuries, particularly if passengers and flight crew members are not buckled into their seats.
Turbulence is measured in four classifications: light, moderate, severe, and extreme. In severe turbulence, which the Bombardier jet encountered on Friday, planes can suffer large, abrupt changes in altitude, and pilots can momentarily lose control of them.
Although turbulence can be unexpected, pilots are trained to avoid the conditions that cause it and to minimize risks if they do encounter it.
Injuries from turbulence are rare: According to NTSB data, there were only 146 severe injuries from turbulence recorded by commercial airlines between 2009 and 2021. “Severe injuries” were defined as an injury that requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours; bone fractures; severe bleeding or damage to muscles and nerves; damage to internal organs; or second- or third-degree burns.
While injuries from turbulence are uncommon, the incident aboard the Bombardier private plane last week is the latest spate of severe turbulence to hit headlines in recent weeks.
Last week, a Lufthansa flight from Texas to Germany was forced to make an emergency landing at Virginia’s Dulles International Airport after getting caught in severe turbulence that led to seven passengers being hospitalized.
Meanwhile, 11 people were left severely injured at the end of 2022 when a Hawaiian Airlines flight bound for Honolulu was rocked by severe turbulence.
