8 injured after Florida-bound flight hits 'severe turbulence'
The jet was skirting thunderstorms near Jamaica and bouncing around in altitude. JetBlue tells FOX Weather that seven customers and one inflight crew member was taken to the hospital.
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The National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation into a JetBlue flight where eight people were injured during turbulence.
"On Monday, September 25, JetBlue flight 1256 with scheduled service from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, experienced sudden severe turbulence as it neared Florida," JetBlue told FOX Weather.
The NTSB said that the turbulence occurred near Jamaica.
Severe turbulence reported on JetBlue Flight 1256. (FOX Weather)
The flight path below shows the plane making jogs left and right just off the island nation. The dotted line is the planned flight, and the green is the actual path.
The NTSB reports that the plane encountered turbulence near Jamaica where the flight path takes a jog right then quick left. (FlightAware / FOX Weather)
Flight Aware shows the plane skirting thunderstorms. Very quickly, the plane rose 600 feet and then dropped 400 feet in just a minute or so. Minutes later, the jet rose to a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, where it stayed level until approaching Fort Lauderdale.
The green shows the altitude bouncing around in just minutes before climbing to a higher cruising altitude. (FlightAware / FOX Weather)
JetBlue tells FOX Weather that seven customers and one inflight crew member were transported to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. JetBlue has taken the jet out of service pending investigation.
This is a breaking story, please check back with FOX Weather.