Flight data from FlightAware shows the plane dropped over 1,600 feet in just 85 seconds. “There was a moment where we thought we were going down,” passenger Joseph Carbone told Fox Salt Lake City. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
Carbone described three waves of turbulence, each one worse than the last. Flight attendants were swept off their feet, drinks and food flew across the cabin, and carts smashed into the ceiling. “I just saw everything fly through the air,” he said.
Fellow passenger LeeAnn Clement-Nash told ABC News that anyone without a seatbelt was launched into the ceiling before crashing back to the floor. “The carts also hit the ceiling and came down, injuring people. One young woman was thrown twice and landed on other passengers — she may have fractured ribs,” she said, still visibly shaken.
Her partner recalled the terrifying sequence: “The plane shot up about 500 feet, then dropped roughly 1,500 feet in a nosedive. It felt like free fall.”
Photos taken inside the cabin show food, drinks, and debris scattered across the floor. Emergency crews met the aircraft on the tarmac, rushing the injured to area hospitals.
There were 275 passengers and 13 crew members onboard. Delta later confirmed the incident, saying, “Safety is our No. 1 value. Our Delta Care Team is working directly with customers to support their immediate needs.”
Carbone says he’s learned one lesson the hard way: “From now on, unless I’m up for the bathroom, I’ll have my seatbelt on. Always.”