Passenger left stuck in overhead locker after Boeing Dreamliner hit by new air turbulence incident

Footage of a turbulence incident aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane has revealed how one passenger who did not fasten their seatbelt was left dangling out of an overhead luggage bin.

The incident, which left 30 people injured and smears of blood all around an Air Europa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight, was bound for Uruguay from Spain when it hit a patch of serious turbulence over the Atlantic. According to passengers, anyone and anything that was not strapped down was launched through the air.

This included the one passenger whose feet can be seen dangling overhead in the video, after they were launched into the overhead locker. Air Europa said in a statement following the turbulence: "The plane has landed normally and the injuries of varying degrees that were recorded are already being treated."

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Passengers aboard the weekend flight UX045 from Spain were warned by the pilot to return to their seats and buckle up, shortly before hitting a patch of turbulence. At first the change in airflow around the Boeing 787-9 was small, but then the plane suddenly dropped, the Mirror reports.

Speaking to Spanish media, one passenger said: "The sensation was terrifying, feeling like you were falling and that it was never going to end. And you were aware that you were falling at an incalculable speed.

"And you felt like it was going to end there, that you were going to die. Until we started to see on the screen that the plane was starting to rise," said the lawyer who was travelling to Europe for 40 days for work and tourism.

Images shared by those on the flight show the damaging impact of the extreme and sudden fall, with parts of the cabin ripped out of the ceiling following the chaotic scenes with passengers being launched around the plane's interior. Another passenger said: "Those who did not have seatbelts flew and some remained hooked to the roof."

The whole incident was over in just a few seconds, but left scores of passengers seriously injured. The foreign minister of Uruguay confirmed that the flight made an emergency landing in Natal after the incident, with the 30 injured passengers rushed to the city's Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital.

Further footage shared by those on flight UX045 shows other passengers eventually helping the man who became lodged in the overhead locker, pulling him out by his legs. Others can be seen lying on the floor in neck braces.

Aviation experts examining the public flight data for the plane have said that a sudden deceleration could be the cause of some of the injuries. Jacob Philip said on X: "It seems the injuries and damages during the turbulence happened aboard Air Europa UX045 Madrid to Uruguay flight was not because of a sudden drop in altitude."

"The FlightRadar24 data shows a sudden drop in speed by 259kmph in 27 sec," though the data does also show a dip in altitude.""

Jacob went on to say: "This deceleration can cause unrestrained passengers to move forward with very high speed."