
A Boeing 787 jet operated by United Airlines as Flight 85 from Tel Aviv, Israel to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, encountered a significant turbulence event which sent people to the hospital. The incident occurred while the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center had an alert for severe turbulence in the area around the airport. 319 people were on the large aircraft.

The aircraft was cleared to land at Newark Airport after it’s 11 hour long flight from Israel. When the aircraft was just 750 feet off the ground, it encountered wind sheer forcing them to abort the the landing. The pilots then diverted to Stewart International Airport in Orange County, New York, minutes later. The New York airport is located roughly 75 miles north of Newark airport. The FAA considered the landing in New York to be a “passenger medical emergency.”
Ambulances met the aircraft upon it’s New York landing. New Windsor EMS Chief Michael Bigg told reporters that 30 passengers were evaluated at the airport for medical concerns, with 7 sent to local hospitals for observation. He added most of complained of chest pain, nausea, and motion sickness, with no serious injuries or ailments identified.
Alerts for severe turbulence had been issued by the National Weather Service’s Aviation Weather Center for expected rough air. Technically, SIGMET PAPA 2 was in effect for severe turbulence expected between the surface and 9,000 feet above the surface at the time of the incident at Newark airport.

Known as a SIGMET, short for Significant Meteorological Information, the severe weather advisory issued by the AWC contains weather-related information concerning the safety of all aircraft passing through a specific zone. Sometimes AIRMETs are issued too; an AIRMET consists of turbulence, visibility, and icing-related warnings that are less severe than those in a SIGMET.
Wind shear is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a very short distance in the atmosphere. Airline pilots generally regard significant wind shear to be a horizontal change in airspeed of 30 knots (15 m/s or 34 mph) for light aircraft and 45 knots (23 m/s or 51 mph) for traditional airliners flying at flight altitude.
Flying through turbulence can be dangerous, with injuries encountered on U.S. airline flights over the last several months and years
In February 2023, a Newark-Tampa flight operated by United Airlines encountered severe turbulence. When flight 600 finally landed in Tampa, it was met by paramedics that treated passengers and crew at the scene. Ultimately, 1 flight attendant and 2 passengers needed hospitalization after being examined at the airport for injuries sustained during the rough flight.
During the winter of 2022, a United Airlines 767 jet encountered severe turbulence on its flight to Houston, Texas. Due to that encounter with rough air, 3 crew members and 2 passengers had to be rushed to the hospital for care upon landing.

The day before the Houston incident, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 35 flew through severe turbulence before landing at Honolulu International Airport after originating in Phoenix, Arizona. A Mass Casualty Emergency Event was declared, with dozens of passengers needing care for injuries sustained in the violent ride. Officials with Honolulu Emergency Medical Services and American Medical Response say the flight encountered the extreme turbulence about 30 minutes prior to landing; they treated 36 patients at the airport. 20 patients, ranging from a 14-month old toddler to older adults, were transported to hospitals near the airport, some with serious injuries.