Summary FAA notes passengers must wear seatbelts during key flight phases, but what 'properly secured' means is undefined. The cause of a recent Southwest Airlines passenger injury in turbulence, under FAA investigation, remains unclear. The study finds global turbulence on the rise due to climate change's effects on airline safety and passenger comfort.
A recent Southwest Airlines flight from Manchester, New Hampshire, to Baltimore encountered turbulence, which seriously injured a passenger. The Federal Aviation Administration noted that WN3633 experienced challenging conditions around 15:50 on Wednesday, August 7. FAA regulations identify that all passengers must wear seatbelts during taxiing, takeoff, and landing.
However, these regulations do not define what 'properly secured' means. The fine details of how the passenger was injured remain unclear and are under investigation by the FAA. The administration has noted that crew members must notify passengers when they need to fasten their seat belts and that all onboard must obey cabin crewmembers' instructions.
However, there is no mandate that passengers must wear their seatbelts for the full duration of a flight. Winds have remained strong on America's East Coast this week as the remnants of Hurricane Debby and, as noted by Fox Business , the pilot was likely advised by the FAA before take-off that there would be expected turbulence, which would've been relayed to passengers. Have you heard the Simple Flying podcast recen.