Seven people sustained minor injuries when a Turkish Airlines Airbus A340-300 encountered sudden turbulence on approach to Narita International Airport near Tokyo, authorities confirmed Tuesday. The aircraft was carrying 196 people on the flight from Istanbul.
The jolt sent unbelted passengers into the cabin ceiling, according to a male traveler who spoke to Japanese television. Among the injured were four passengers (one Japanese, two Swiss, and one of unknown nationality) and three crew members (two Japanese and one Turkish national). One flight attendant was reported to have broken ribs; all other injuries were described as minor.
Passenger Hidemi Notohara told the Kyodo news agency: "I've never been so scared in my life."
Inspectors found no structural damage to the aircraft, which departed on its return flight to Istanbul later Tuesday afternoon. Turbulence is common over Japan due to unstable atmospheric conditions, and the broader Pacific region had recently been affected by a severe typhoon. A comparable 2005 incident on a Taiwanese flight to Narita left 47 passengers injured.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in August 2006, in its own words.