What is turbulence in flight? Is it dangerous?

Turbulence is the uneven and irregular movement of air. When an aircraft flies through this air, it may experience shaking.

There are many types of air turbulence including:

Clear air turbulence (CAT): caused by the meeting of high-altitude air currents in clear, cloudless conditions, causing the aircraft to experience severe turbulence without prior warning from clouds or bad weather.

• Mechanical turbulence: Occurs when air encounters ground-level obstructions such as mountains or buildings.
• Thermal turbulence: Caused by temperature difference.
• Turbulence: Due to the air being disturbed after the plane passes through.
• Turbulence caused by cold and hot air colliding…

Turbulence can cause sudden changes in altitude and attitude of an aircraft ranging from mild to extremely severe, and can even cause structural damage to the aircraft in the most severe cases.

Most modern aircraft are designed to withstand the forces of many turbulence situations. However, in severe turbulence situations, passengers who are not wearing seat belts are at risk of injury.

Airlines have experienced many accidents and incidents related to turbulence in the past. For example, in 1966, BOAC Flight 911 crashed, destroying the plane and killing all 113 passengers and 11 crew members. The incident was caused by severe turbulence near Mount Fuji in Japan.

In 1997, United Airlines Flight 826 was flying at an altitude of about 31,000 feet when it suddenly plunged to an altitude of only about 100 feet due to turbulence while flying from Tokyo to Hawaii. The incident left one person dead and 18 seriously injured.