Your flight just went through *what* to get to MSP?
Ope, so here's the thing. When you hear about an emergency landing, you think mechanical, right? Engine trouble, maybe a medical emergency. Not, you know, a full-on roller coaster ride through the clouds that sends two dozen people to the hospital. But that's exactly what happened with Delta Flight 56, headed for Amsterdam, that had to turn right around and land at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport last night. Walaahi, it sounds like something out of a movie.
The pilots reported hitting severe turbulence somewhere over the Atlantic, and it was bad enough that 25 passengers and crew members needed immediate medical attention once they got back on the ground here. They were taken to various hospitals around the Twin Cities, likely including places like Hennepin County Medical Center downtown, or perhaps Fairview Southdale, depending on where they landed on the triage. I mean, can you imagine just cruising along, maybe watching a movie, and then suddenly you're getting tossed around like a hotdish in a tumble dryer? It just feels… wrong. You always expect the journey *from* MSP to be the harrowing part, especially with winter travel.
* What We Know So Far * Delta Flight 56, bound for Amsterdam, encountered severe turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean. * The flight was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing at MSP. * 25 individuals onboard, both passengers and crew, were hospitalized with injuries. * The specific nature of the injuries hasn't been fully detailed, but "severe turbulence" usually means bumps, bruises, and sometimes broken bones from being thrown about.
This kind of thing, it really puts a knot in your stomach. Especially for those of us who fly out of MSP all the time. You think about folks coming home, maybe after visiting family, or heading out for that big trip. It's a reminder that even when you're 30,000 feet up, things can go sideways in a hurry. You betcha, it makes you hug your people a little tighter when they land safely.
Ope, that's the real Minneapolis — stay warm out there.
My buddies on the Morning Wire show really dig into these stories, you can catch 'em live at mornings.live.