Video shows panic as window falls off due to turbulence during packed Air India flight
Three injured during horror incident - 24 hours after woman dies when sucked through window on US flight
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.This is horrifying moment a flight attendant tries to fix a window panel which has fallen off during a packed flight – less than 24 hours after a woman died when she was sucked through a plane window.
The footage shows the aftermath of severe turbulence which had caused the frame to come loose and left three people needing hospital treatment.
Many of the 240 passengers on board the Air India flight appear panicked as the crew member tries heroically to lodge the panel back in.
The attendant can then be seen apparently reassuring the woman sitting by the damaged window – although the woman herself appears, reasonably enough, not entirely happy.
A probe has now been launched by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB).
The full flight from Amritsar to Delhi only lasts 30 minutes but the plane was buffeted by bad weather for almost 15 minutes of that, according to The Times Of India newspaper.
The events unfolded as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner flew at a relatively low altitude of 15,000 feet. Overhead oxygen masks were released adding to the panic.
A source told the newspaper: “Passengers were naturally terrified.”
He said: “The turbulence on Flight AI 462 was such that the head of a seated passenger, who possibly did not have his seat belt fastened, hit the overhead cabin because of a bump. The person suffered injuries. Two more had minor injuries. The inside of a window panel came off. The outside window did not break and there was no de-pressurisation.”
The incident came just a day after a mother-of-two died on an American flight after being sucked through the plane window during a mid-flight emergency.
The left engine on flight 1380, which was carrying 144 passengers from New York to Dallas, is believed to have exploded at 32,000 feet, causing shrapnel to fly off and hit the side of the plane, according to reports.
Jennifer Riordan, a 43-year-old mother-of-two from New Mexico, was later confirmed as the passenger killed.
Emergency inspections are now being carried out on hundreds of aircraft worldwide after the tragedy.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments