LOS ANGELES, CA — Four flight attendants were injured, including one who was hospitalized, when a United Airlines flight from Hawaii encountered turbulence and dropped suddenly while descending toward Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday night.
Passengers on United Airlines Flight 1157 described a sudden, terrifying drop that lifted people out of their seats and sent people screaming as the aircraft approached Los Angeles.
"I was watching a movie, and all of a sudden we just drop," passenger Marly Wadlington told ABC 7. "And it felt like we dropped pretty far. It started shaking, everyone was yelling. We were all super scared."
Another passenger told the station she saw a flight attendant with blood on her head and leg.
The aircraft descended more than 3,500 feet in one minute during its approach, the California Post reported.
Audio from air traffic control suggested the plane may have encountered wake turbulence, which occurs when an aircraft flies through powerful air currents generated by another aircraft.
"It only lasted a couple of seconds, it felt like wake turbulence, but we're smooth now," a pilot said in a radio transmission obtained by ABC 7.
The plane, a Boeing 777 carrying 190 passengers and 10 crew members, landed safely at LAX at 9:44 p.m., about 20 minutes behind schedule.
After landing, the aircraft remained on the tarmac for at least 30 minutes while the injured flight attendants received attention and the plane waited to reach a gate, ABC 7 reported.
"Four flight attendants were seen by medical personnel, including one being transported to the hospital for further treatment," United Airlines said in a statement.
No passengers were injured, according to the airline.
There was no immediate update on the condition of the flight attendant who was hospitalized.
More California News:
City News Service contributed to this report.
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