10:00PM EST: A flight was forced to land at Denver International Airport Tuesday evening after approximately 30 people were injured because of severe turbulence.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the injuries, however the extent of the injuries are unknown.
United Flight 967 from Washington Dulles was flying to Los Angeles when the incident occurred.
UPDATE 10:05PM EST: News 9 in Denver reports one person has serious injuries.
UPDATE 10:08PM EST: Eric Tade, Denver Fire Department spokesman tells the Denver Post “only one passenger was seriously injured and the remainder had bruises, whiplash injuries, strains and sprains.
“There are mostly walking injury,” he said. “They are treating patients now.”
UPDATE 10:13PM EST: According to ABC7, the aircraft was a Boeing 777 carrying 266 people. The airliner landed around 7:40 p.m. and emergency personnel set up a triage area on the B concourse where the plane taxied to the terminal.
A passenger on the plane texted her husband after the plane landed that many of the passengers weren’t wearing seat belts when they hit the turbulence.
All passengers were off the jet by 8:05 p.m.
(Source: CBS4 / ABC7 / News9 / YWN-MD01 / YWN BBRY Group 3)
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13 Responses
Must’ve been pretty severe. A triple 7 is a big aircraft.
That’s what happens when you fly on Tish’a B’Av.
Fortunately, my flight to Denver is tomorrow. I guess I’ll say tefilas haderech with a little more kavanah this time.
Didn’t know that you say tefilas haderech when flying on a plane. It is not one of the four times a person has to bench gomel.
Reply to seichel hoyashar. Yes, one does say Tefilas Haderech when flying (although some word it a bit differently). Although I’m not sure what tefilas haderech has to do with benching Gomel?! (BTW if I remember correctly it was R Moshe ZTZL who held that one who flies even not over sea recites the Gomel blessing!)
And what exactly does tefilas Haderech have to do with Benching gomel?
To sechel hayoshor:
You post, “Didn’t know that you say tefilas haderech when flying on a plane. It is not one of the four times a person has to bench gomel.” (1) It is true that many are of the opinion that one who travels “by air” is not considered an avar ba’yam requiring him/her to “bentch gomel” nonetheless both Rav Moshe z”l and the Tzitz Eliezer pasken one would “bentch gomel” each for their own reason. One reasons that the reason one says ha’gomel having traveled over the ocean is because without the ship one could not survive in the water. So too, he paskens, since one cannot survive 35,000 feet in the air without the pressurized cabin of the plane, a gomel should be said. The other explains that flying over water is no different than avar ba’yam and therefore a gomel should be said. The difference between the two opinions is whether a berachah is said when traveling over land only. According to the first opinion, one would, and according to the second one would not. 2) Tefilas ha’derech is unrelated to the berachah of Ha’gomel. Tefilas ha’derech is said anytime one travels outside the yishuv.
They hve specual tefias haderech for airplanes
It is known the shitoh of the Rogotchover Gaon (Reb Yosef Rozen) not to say tefilas haderech when flying on a plane as it is not called “derech” (as seen in Chulin 139b by shliach hakan).
#2: You say Tfillas Haderech whenever you leave the Tchum of town on a highway as well.
It’s advisable to wear the seat belts all the time, just for this reason of sudden turbulence.
You still have to say it. I always used to say it when I was flying.
This is why they always say on the plane that you should always keep your seat-belt fastened while sitting, even if the “fasten seat-belt sign” is not on.
Tzirel posts: “They have special tefilas haderech for airplanes.” While halachah certainly permits, perhaps encourages, anyone to “compose” his/her own prayer and in any language one wishes, only chazal, or perhaps the ge’onim, were able to “coin” special tefilos and berachos. There is some question as to whether tefilas ha’derech is a tefilah or a berachah. If the latter, then certainly only the sages could coin the words.
Inanonov posts: “#2: You say Tfillas Haderech whenever you leave the Tchum of town on a highway as well.” I think more accurately whenever you leave the yishuv. It is possible to leave the techum of an area, yet not be sufficiently distant from a populated area as is quite common in the catskill region. I don’t think tefilas ha’derech would b e required then. Not certain though.
Siddur Minchat Yerushalayim has a tefillah for air travel that is said after Tefillat Haderech.
According to the people that hold to say Tefillas Haderech, you should say it when the plane is on the taxiway going to the runway BEFORE the plane leaves the ground…