Passengers reveal terror as US flight is rocked by severe turbulence leaving 24 injured and forcing emergency landing

PASSENGERS were sent flying from their seats when their plane dropped suddenly in the sky, with one terrified traveller saying she thought she was going to die as the flight struggled with major turbulence.

The Jet Blue Flight 429 from Boston was forced to make an emergency landing at Rapid City Airport after being tossed about in the air due to the severe weather, with passenger Rhonda Lynam saying the horrifying experience had sent the cabin into chaos.

Ms Lynam, who had been travelling with her mother, Gerry, when the plane hit severe turbulence, told The Sun Online she thought she was going to die when the Aisbus A320 dropped from the sky.

She said: “We must have dropped big time, people were floating in the air – everyone went through their seatbelts.

“One guy next to me hit his head so hard that it made a big dent and another guy his head on the overhead compartment so hard that it opened and luggage fell on the guy next to him.

“It was like a movie, I thought we were dead.”

The Jet Blue Flight 429 from Boston was scheduled to land in Sacramento at 8.55pm but was forced to head towards Rapid City, South Dakota, about 1300 miles away, to make an emergency landing.

Ms Lynam, who was been travelling back from Boston from her mother’s birthday celebrations, said there were scenes of chaos as the pilot tried to navigate through the weather.

She said: “It was screaming, chaos, crying, there’s a lot of little babies on the airplane.

“They were all crying.”

The traveller said the pilot or co-pilot came out to assess the damage, seeing food over the floor, compartments damaged and people crying.

She said: “He was either sweating or had been drinking water and poured it over himself, he was soaked.

“It was like a dream, I couldn’t believe it.”

In one photo from the plane that Ms Lynam managed to snap, the plane's wing can be seen in amongst the heavy fog outside.

She praised the local hospital which helped those injured on the flight.

Casey Cocoran, from Massachusetts, told WCVB that it felt like the plane crashed into a wall.

He said: "It was almost like a bang, like we hit a wall and just dropped straight down."

More than 20 people were injured on the flight with a flight attendant taken from the flight in a neck brace.

Passengers on the flight said the flight attendant was in the galley when she hit her head on the ceiling, completely dislodging the panel. One passenger said the flight attendant suffered cuts, a neck injury and a concussion.

It is understood 22 passengers and two crew members were injured.

Some passengers took to social media as their plane was forced to make the emergency landing, saying that there was major turbulence as they landed.

One passenger wrote that there had been "lots of injuries" in the emergency landing while another said there had been at least a dozen injuries.

Another passenger shared their thanks to the Rapid City Police Department, who brought around crayons and colouring books for the children after the harrowing experience.

The plane landed safety at South Dakota with the remaining passengers to be flown to their original destination on a replacement aircraft.

A JetBlue statement said in a statement to the Sun Online: "On Thursday, Aug. 11, JetBlue flight 429 experienced turbulence while en route from Boston to Sacramento.

"The flight diverted to Rapid City, South Dakota, and arrived safely at the gate at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time.

"Approximately 22 customers and two crewmembers were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. JetBlue care team members are being sent to assist injured customers, and a replacement aircraft is en route to Rapid City for customers continuing on to Sacramento."

The Rapid City Fire Department set up a triage at the Rapid City airport to treat those injured on the flight.

Passengers praised the professionalism of the crew in handling the situation.

According to the flight plan, the Jet Blue flight is now expected to land in Sacramento at 3.54am.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368