Terrifying turbulence struck a United Airlines jet flying out of Newark Airport Thursday, leaving five crew members injured, officials said.
The Beijing-bound Boeing 777 was tossed like a rag doll by what officials described as “severe turbulence” about 45 minutes after its 1:01 p.m. departure, according to the Web site FlightAware and other sources.
The pilot decided to turn back to New Jersey because the crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 89 were injured.
The aircraft landed at Newark Airport at 3:43 p.m., the Web site stated.
United Airlines said there were 189 passengers and 16 crew on the plane.
A Port Authority spokesman said the injured crew members were all flight attendants.
“The injuries appear to be minor. It was mostly bumps and bruises,” said Ron Marsico, the PA spokesman.
The injured were taken to University Hospital and Trinitas Hospital, both in Newark, he said.
Passengers couldn’t believe how quickly turbulence struck. “It happened in an instant,” said Bryan Munoz, 23, a freelance journalist from Chicago, who was sitting in business class, according to CNN. “It wasn’t that bad . . . It’s just that it happened so fast.”