Austrian Airlines Passenger Plane Damaged by Hailstorm
Passenger Says "Landed Dramatically"
An Austrian Airlines passenger plane encountered a hailstorm during flight, resulting in severe damage to the front part of the aircraft, including the cockpit window breaking. Fortunately, no passengers were reported injured.
According to US NBC News and others on the 11th (local time), the airline's flight OS434, carrying 173 passengers and 6 crew members, departed from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, heading to Vienna, the capital of Austria, when it encountered a hailstorm during the flight. The hailstorm was caused by a thunderstorm cell. Thunderstorm cells are formed by a mixture of updrafts and downdrafts, creating typhoon-level vertical winds exceeding 30 m/s inside. As a result, aircraft flying through thunderstorm cells can experience turbulence.
The passenger plane sent an emergency distress signal after encountering the hailstorm but landed safely at Vienna Airport. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the front part of the aircraft sustained severe damage. Photos posted on social media show that the upper part of the cockpit was bent, and the cockpit window glass was also broken. The front part of the plane is called the nose cone, which is aerodynamically designed to be streamlined and pointed to reduce air resistance.
Austrian Airlines explained that the aircraft encountered the thunderstorm cell while approaching Vienna and that the onboard weather radar did not detect the thunderstorm cell. The airline also stated, "According to information so far, two cockpit windows at the front, the radome (radar antenna cover) at the very front of the aircraft, and some panels were damaged by hail." The aircraft is an Airbus A320 model.
Passenger Karl Boentner, who was on the flight, said on Facebook, "The plane shook up and down several times," and "It landed dramatically." He added, "The pilots and crew acted exemplary and ensured that no panic occurred inside the cabin," and "All passengers could do was remain calm and hope everything would turn out well."
Netizens who heard the news responded with comments such as "Glad all passengers are safe," "The passengers must have been scared," and "The calm response of the crew was impressive."
Earlier, on the 21st of last month, Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore encountered turbulence over Myanmar airspace, causing a sudden drop that resulted in one passenger's death and injuries to 85 others.
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