On Tuesday, 16 April, a 47-year-old German passenger travelling on an Air New Zealand flight broke his leg after strong turbulence and had to endure more than six hours in pain before arriving at his destination, as reported by the New Zealand Herald. The traveller, named Niko, has lived in Bali for 13 years. He was flying on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Bali, Indonesia, to Auckland with his partner. Both were on vacation for approximately three weeks.
According to the news outlet, Niko went to the toilet thirty minutes after the plane had taken off. As he was returning to his seat, the plane encountered turbulence and he fell badly, breaking his leg in the process. There was a doctor on board the flight but only paracetamol was available. Niko was in pain for the rest of the flight. “The crew asked some passengers to vaccate their seats so he could lie down for the rest,” according to a friend of Niko’s, who picked him up at Auckland airport. “His leg broke in two,” he told the Herald, and added that Niko had suffered a fractured tibia and fibula.
According to local media, Air New Zealand confirmed the incident occurred when the plane encountered “clear air turbulence”, which is a sudden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions where pilots are unable to see. The airline’s chief operational integrity and safety officer, Captain David Morgan, said one passenger sustained an injury on the same flight. “They were attended to by a doctor on board the aircraft. No other passenger injuries were reported to our crew.”
Morgan said that in the event of a medical incident on an international service, the crew would contact Flightcare Global, Air New Zealand’s international medical support. They are the ones who provide recommendations based on the input received. “Depending on the situation, crew may put a call out to see whether there is a doctor on board,” Morgan told local media. “If there is a doctor available who can support the passenger, our crew will take guidance from them in conjunction with Flightcare Global.”
Flightcare Global will also consider factors like the level of medical care likely available to the individual in the possible diversion locations and whether it is in the individual’s best interest to continue to the intended destination, Morgan said. “The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our number one priority. Our crew are trained to respond to medical emergencies and always prioritize the wellbeing of the customers on board the aircraft.”
A Counties Manukau Health spokesperson confirmed that Niko remained in a stable condition at the Middlemore Hospital until his surgery.
Niko’s accident happened roughly a month after a technical problem caused a “sudden drop” on Chilean airline Latam’s flight LA800 from Sydney to Auckland. A Latam Airlines Group spokesman said flight LA800 was carrying 263 passengers and nine flight and cabin crew members when it experienced a “strong shake” during flight.
Priscilla Waller-Subritzky, a passenger on LA800 flight, told the Herald she was watching a movie when the plane lost altitude and “a number of passengers and crew were thrown into the roof of the plane”. Another passenger said, “The plane dipped so dramatically into a nosedive for a couple of seconds and around 30 people hit the ceiling hard.”
New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) confirmed it was assisting at the request of the Chilean authorities with its investigation in what happened on-board. Roughly 50 people were initially assessed by paramedics upon landing. Ten passengers were then taken to a medical centre for assessment with one passenger and one crew member requiring additional treatment for non-life threatening injuries. “Latam provided affected passengers with food, accommodation and transportation due to the flight cancellation,” the airline spokesman said.
