The ‘clear air turbulence’ that pilots can’t warn you about – and could be dangerous
TURBULENCE can often be a scary feeling during a flight, especially if you are a nervous flyer.
But there is a certain kind of turbulence that can come out of nowhere – and could be dangerous.
Most of the time, pilots will be able to warn passengers of upcoming turbulence, which can be spotted during bad weather.
But one kind that is harder to spot is called “Clear Air Turbulence (CAT)”.
This is defined as a “sudden, severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that causes violent buffering of aircraft”.
It often takes place when a plane moves from a fast jet stream area to a slower area.
CAT, according to aviation website Skybrary, can cause injury to passengers who aren’t wearing their seatbelt and in very rare situations, plane structural damage.
An anonymous pilot backed this up, telling Mail Online: “I’m a person who sits down, puts my seat belt on and the only time I take it off is to use the restroom or after the seat belt sign is extinguished at the gate after landing.
“It’s not just doors blowing off the fuselage that I’m worried about, it’s clear air turbulence.
“This is a phenomena that the pilots can’t warn you about, it’s random turbulence that occurs in clear blue skies.”
Last year, passengers were thrown through the cabin on an Air China flight after the aircraft experienced CAT.
A passenger and a flight attendant were taken to the hospital after landing.
Thankfully, most turbulence isn’t life-threatening as long as passengers keep their seat belt on during the flight, even if the light is off.
Last year, a passenger was left with severe whiplash after extreme turbulence onboard, because many had taken their seatbelts off when the light was off.
Phillip, from Yorkshire, said said: “The seatbelt signs weren’t on and so people were getting up and going to the toilet or checking hand luggage, and next thing we hit severe turbulence.
“Everybody that wasn’t fastened in literally went and hit the ceiling. Whether it be once or twice.
“I thought I was going to die, the plane was going to crash. Everybody was screaming.”
While passenger injury is the often cause of turbulence, experts advise that the plane itself is rarely damaged.
Pilot Patrick Smith, who wrote the book Cockpit Confidential, explained: “For all intents and purposes, a plane cannot be flipped upside-down, thrown into a tailspin, or otherwise flung from the sky by even the mightiest gust or air pocket.
“The pilots aren’t worried about the wings falling off; they’re trying to keep their customers relaxed and everybody’s coffee where it belongs.”
Still scared? Here’s the best place to sit on the plane if you’re afraid of turbulence.