A United Airlines flight was forced to conduct an emergency landing in Waco, Texas, on Sunday evening following a severe turbulence incident that resulted in injuries to five passengers, as per officials. The flight, identified as SkyWest flight 5690 and operating under the United Express banner within the United Airlines regional flight service network, departed from Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri at 4:48 p.m. Central Time en route to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, based on data sourced from FlightAware.com. The Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft encountered turbulence while in transit and necessitated an emergency landing at Waco Regional Airport, as confirmed by SkyWest Airlines in a statement provided to NBC News. SkyWest did not specify the precise location where the turbulence was encountered. “Medical staff attended to and assessed passengers, with five individuals subsequently being taken to the hospital,” the statement detailed. “SkyWest and United are ensuring that all passengers receive the necessary care and have arranged for another aircraft to transport the passengers from Waco to Houston.” The airline indicated that the injuries sustained by the five passengers were minor, and there were a total of 29 passengers and three crew members on board the flight. Responding to the scene, the Waco Fire Department dispatched five units and 13 personnel, as reported by Acting Fire Chief Robby Bergerson. A subsequent flight departed from Waco to Houston at 1:17 a.m. Central Time on Monday, according to FlightAware.com. This incident adds to a series of recent aviation events making headlines. Just the day prior, a FedEx cargo plane departing from Newark to Indianapolis encountered a bird strike during takeoff, leading to an emergency landing. Additionally, a week ago, a Delta Air Lines flight returned to Atlanta after crew members reported a potential smoke concern on board. Further, the day before that, an American Airlines flight traveling from New York to New Delhi was diverted to Rome due to a bomb threat directed at the aircraft.
