8 Injured By Severe Turbulence Aboard FL-Bound JetBlue Flight

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Eight people aboard a JetBlue flight bound for Florida were injured this week when the plane encountered severe turbulence as it approached the Fort Lauderdale airport.

According to an airline spokesperson, JetBlue flight 1256 was headed to Fort Lauderdale from Guayaquil, Ecuador, around 5 a.m. Monday when the plane “experienced sudden severe turbulence as it neared Florida."

The airline said the plane landed safely at Fort Lauderdale. Eight people — seven passengers and one crew member — were taken by paramedics to hospitals. The severity of their injuries was unknown.

"JetBlue is working to support our customers and crewmembers," the airline said in a statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, the agency said in a social media statement.

The incident is the latest in which flight passengers and crew were injured after planes encountered turbulence. In August, 17 passengers and crew members were injured when a flight from Milan to Atlanta experienced severe turbulence. In July, four people were injured on a flight from North Carolina to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, according to multiple reports.

Earlier this year, former White House official Dana Hyde died from injuries suffered during severe turbulence while flying with her husband and one of her sons on a Bombardier Challenger 300. The private jet was diverted to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut and Hyde was taken to a hospital, where she died, police said.