The flight to Oahu plummeted
By Lori Tighe
twice forcing a return to L.A. to
treat seven injured passengers
Star-BulletinEddie Shaw never wears his seat belt when flying, but intuition told him to buckle up yesterday.
It's a good thing he did.
About an hour into Continental Flight 75 from Los Angeles to Honolulu, the airplane suddenly plunged, then rose, plunged, then rose, like a shaking roller coaster.
"One person hit the ceiling. It felt like an earthquake. I thought, 'Well, this is it,'" said Shaw, of Lighthouse Point, Fla., a former publicist for "Hawaii Five-0" who was headed to Oahu for his daughter's wedding this weekend.
Seven people were hurt, some with broken bones, during the turbulence.
A doctor seated in first class helped the injured, and the plane returned to Los Angeles at 1:54 p.m. (10:54 a.m. Hawaii time).
The 270 passengers and 13 crew members spent the night in Los Angeles and planned to catch a new flight to Honolulu today.
Although the fasten-seat belt sign had been routinely on as the DC-10 jet ascended to flying altitude after a 12:15 p.m. departure, the passengers had no warning of the severe turbulence, said Ron Wright, local Continental spokesman. The injured people most likely weren't wearing their seatbelts, but this was unconfirmed, Wright said.
"It was miraculous more people weren't seriously injured," said Brian Humphrey, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman. "Some people were emotionally shaken, but most weathered it well."
Shaw will walk his daughter, Mimi, 30, down the aisle at her North Shore wedding this weekend. His wife, Ruth, and their 31-year-old son, who flew with him on the flight, also were shaken but not harmed.
"It was a good lesson for the passengers to wear your seat belt. I never did," Shaw said. "But that's changed forever."
Heavy turbulence killed one passenger and injured 100 others on a United Airlines flight from Tokyo to Honolulu Dec. 28.
About 240 of the 360 passengers on board that flight said they had no warning and didn't recall seeing a seat belt sign on before the accident.
Turbulence in U.S. skies has killed two people since 1980 and injured more than 316 passengers and 138 flight attendants, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Most were hurt because they were unbuckled, even with the seat belt sign on.
Shaw, 59, said, "I hate seat belts, but something told me to put it on.... The drink cart smashed into the flight attendant and knocked her out. I smashed my glasses on my food tray."
About 10 minutes later, the captain told passengers they had experienced turbulence, Shaw said.
Rescuers drove a food-service unit to the side of the plane, raised the platform, then lowered the injured down from the plane, Humphrey said.
The injured, four passengers and three crew members, are all in stable condition, he said.
"It was heartwarming to see the sense of community among the passengers helping the injured," Humphrey said.
