Nine people were rushed to a Miami hospital after severe turbulence forced an Avianca flight bound for New York to divert early Friday, and federal aviation officials say they will investigate.
Avianca Flight 42 left Medellín, Colombia, headed for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City when the crew reported severe turbulence and diverted to Miami International Airport. CBS News Miami reported that the jet landed safely around 3:30 a.m.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed the early-morning landing. Airline officials said three crew members and six passengers suffered injuries or health issues tied to the turbulence. All nine were taken to a Miami hospital. The extent of those injuries remains unknown.
Remaining passengers were helped by the airline’s airport team so they could continue on to New York.
Passenger Maria Paula Jimenez was at the airport as the diverted flight came in. She told reporters what she saw near the gate.
Jimenez said:
"When we arrived, when we landed, we saw that very close to where we were going to disembark, there were more than five or six ambulances. Seven of them with their lights on as if they were waiting for something."
She added a plain assessment of the scene:
"When we arrived, well, you know, it wasn't normal."
Airport officials said the flight was on the Medellín-to-JFK route when the severe turbulence was reported and the crew made the call to divert to Miami.
The Federal Aviation Administration told local reporters it would investigate the incident. That review matters. Severe turbulence can injure people who are standing, working the cabin, or not secured, even when a plane lands without structural damage.
Airline officials described the nine affected travelers and crew as having “suffered injuries or health issues.” They have not released a fuller medical breakdown. No public statement in the available reporting detailed where in the flight the jolt hit, how long it lasted, or whether seat-belt orders were already in effect.
What is clear is the sequence. The flight left Colombia for New York. Severe turbulence forced a diversion. The aircraft reached Miami safely before dawn. Rescue units met the plane. Nine people went to the hospital. Everyone else was rebooked onward. And the FAA now has the file.
Turbulence is a known hazard on long routes. Passengers still deserve straight answers when a routine international flight ends with ambulances at the gate and a federal probe. Airlines and regulators should give them those answers without delay.
