Terrifying video has shown the moment extreme turbulence hit a passenger jet, throwing passengers into the ceiling on a Miami-bound flight which was then forced to turn around and head back to Europe.
The Scandinavian Airlines flight from Stockholm, which was supposed to take over nine hours, was almost at its destination when it was forced to make a U-turn and head all the way back following the alarming situation on Thursday.
After experiencing the turbulence over Greenland, the packed aircraft returned to a base in Copenhagen to undergo checks over concerns about technical issues.
A passenger on the flight, who was travelling with his wife, posted footage showing screaming passengers as the plane was rattled by the turbulence.
A woman sitting in his row is then flung upwards. ‘Look at her feet touching the [ceiling]!’ he wrote. ‘I thought we were going to [die]’.
A woman’s foot is seen in the air as people were thrown around a plane cabin by severe turbulence
Passengers are seen gripping the backs of seats as the plane was rattled by the extreme turbulence
A passenger shared an image from inside the Scandinavian Airlines plane after it experienced severe turbulence on Thursday and had to fly back to Europe
The image above shows the scene inside the flight as it experienced severe turbulence
The Scandinavian Airlines flight took off from Stockholm at 12.55pm and was due to land in Miami at 5.45pm local time but decided to turn back to Europe as it reached the US East Coast.
According to Scandinavian Airlines, 254 passengers and one baby were on board the plane.
A passenger who was on board said they witnessed at least one person sustain injuries, but a spokesperson for the airline said no serious injuries were reported.
They told MailOnline that the jet had to turn around as it did not have the required equipment in Miami to perform the checks.
The passengers would be offered hotel rooms and will be flown to Miami on Friday, according to the airline.
Passengers posted pictures on social media of the cabin during the turbulence – with items such as plastic cups, paper bags and one man’s rucksack strewn across the floor.
Back in September, a Scandinavian Airlines flight was forced to make a diversion after a rodent was discovered in a passenger’s meal.
The aircraft, which was flying from Oslo to Malaga, Spain was forced to land in Copenhagen as a safety precaution after the mouse was found in an in-flight meal.
Rodents on board aircraft can pose a safety risk as they are able to chew through critical wiring. Airlines usually have procedures to prevent such an incident from occurring.
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