PAL Flight 101 Experiences Clear Air Turbulence; Injures 15 Passengers

Aviation Updates Philippines - Philippine Airlines Flight PR 101, a flight from Honolulu to Manila, experienced a clear air turbulence hours after departure from Hawaii on September 18, 2015. According to reports, 15 out of 132 passengers were injured as some were not able to fasten their seat belts in-flight. 

(PHOTO) zhujingwu - Planespotters.net

The flight, operated by an Airbus A340-343 with the registration RP-C3438, "was enroute over the Pacific Ocean when the aircraft encountered clear air turbulence resulting in minor injuries to 15 occupants," The Aviation Herald stated. 

PR101 departed Honolulu at 12:06 PM and arrived in Manila shortly after 4 PM. Upon arrival, medical services responded and took care of the 15 passengers. Some of them ended up in a wheel chair and were brought to the hospital. 

Passengers of Philippine Airlines Flight PR101. (PHOTO) Nimfa R. Ravelo

According to several passengers, they flew from their seats and hit the ceiling. One passenger thought that they were all going to die. Another passenger also said that the aircraft went down and went up again. 

Clear air turbulence, also known as CAT, is the turbulent movement of air masses that is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet. In this case, there are no visual clues of when and where is the turbulence happening even in the aircraft's weather radar. 

Source: The Aviation Herald, Daily Mail UK, Travel Pulse, Bangkok Post, Wikipedia