Terrifying moment air passengers and crew are tossed around cabin hit by turbulence

Terrifying video has captured the moment passengers and crew were flung from their seats as their flight was hit by violent turbulence.

Air China flight CA1524 was travelling from Shanghai to Beijing on Monday when the violent turbulence buffeted the airliner at an altitude of 35,000 feet.

At least one passenger and a crew member were reportedly injured after being thrown into the air as the plane plunged hundreds of feet. 

Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), as the plane is said to have encountered, is sudden and severe turbulence which occurs without any visible signs such as clouds, taking pilots by surprise.

Passengers described the horrifying experience of being thrown from their seats, with one claiming that the ceiling cracked and an emergency exit sign fell to the floor in the chaos.

Video captured the moment people were thrown from their seats as the violent turbulence hit

‘The first half of the flight was quite smooth. However, in the last 30 to 40 minutes, as people were going back and forth to the restroom, there was a sudden drop that startled everyone,’ passenger Xing Lida said on Weibo.

​’I saw a woman in her 40s and a flight attendant covering the woman with her body both thrown to the ceiling,’ Xing, who reportedly works as an associate professor at China University of Geosciences, told the Global Times.

‘The ceiling cracked and the exit sign fell to the floor next to my feet. There are some sprains and superficial injuries, he said.

‘I want to give my high regard to the flight attendants of Air China. Despite their own fear, they jumped up to protect the passengers who haven’t fasten their seatbelts and held them tightly. They then proceeded to provide assistance to the injured in a professional and calm manner,’ Xing added.

Piercing screams rung out through the cabin as the turbulence first hit, video shot by a passenger shows.

Travellers grip onto the seats in front of them as they lurch upwards, with one appearing to almost hit the ceiling.

Piercing screams rung out through the cabin as the turbulence first hit, video shot by a passenger shows

Travellers grip onto the seats in front of them as they lurch upwards, with one appearing to almost hit the ceiling

Passengers’ belongings, including travel pillows and books, were strewn about the cabin

As well as passengers being jolted out of their seats, their belongings, including travel pillows and books, were strewn about the cabin. 

The dramatic moment lasted less than a second, before terrified passengers who had previously been out of their seats rushed back and hurriedly put their safety belts back on.

​One passenger and a flight attendant were taken to a Beijing hospital after the flight landed safely at 5.18 pm local time, Air China said. Their conditions are not known.