According to a CNN report, a passenger plane flying from Spain to Austria ran into a thunderstorm cell, which resulted in a shattered windshield and significant damage to the aircraft’s nose.
The incident occurred on June 9, as Austrian Airlines flight OS434 (an Airbus A320) was approaching its destination in Vienna, having departed from Palma de Mallorca, a port city on the Spanish island of Majorca.
The plane collided with a thunderstorm cell, a component of a storm cloud, and was damaged in various places when hailstones hit the cockpit window, the nose of the plane, and the cover. The weather radar did not detect the turbulence before it occurred.
Emmeley Oakley, a passenger on the flight, told ABC News, “I think we were about 20 minutes from landing when we got into a cloud of hail and thunderstorm, and the turbulence started.”
Photos of the aircraft posted on social media that day show the nose of the plane broken and the cockpit window shattered to obstruct the view. The hail damaged some panels.
Despite the turbulence and hail, the plane fortunately landed safely at Vienna International Airport.
Last month, a turbulence incident on a Singapore Airlines flight resulted in the death of 1 passenger and over 70 injuries. While many passengers were understandably frightened by this incident, Ms.Oakley said, “The pilots really did an excellent job keeping things as smooth and safe as they could.”
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