Hawaiian Airlines flight hits turbulence after flying over storm cell

On December 18, 2022, a Hawaiian Airlines flight traveling from Phoenix to Honolulu encountered severe turbulence, resulting in numerous injuries to both passengers and crew members. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted an investigation and determined that the flight crew's decision to fly over a hazardous storm cell instead of going around it was the primary cause of the turbulence. This incident led to injuries for 20 people, including serious injuries for three passengers and one crew member. The turbulence reportedly gave passengers a sensation of free fall and caused substantial cabin damage, leaving passengers and crew in shock. Before the flight, the captain was informed of possible turbulence and storm activity over the Hawaiian Islands. As the aircraft approached its destination, the crew noticed an unexpected cloud formation that rapidly developed into a storm plume. Despite being aware of the potential for severe turbulence from meteorological information, the decision was made to fly directly over the storm rather than to safely divert around it. In the aftermath of the incident, Hawaiian Airlines stated that they regularly train their crews on weather avoidance strategies. The airline conducted an internal review following Flight 35 and cooperated with the NTSB to analyze the factors that led to the unexpected turbulence encounter. Reports indicated significant injuries resulted from unrestrained passengers being thrown against the aircraft cabin due to the turbulent conditions. The NTSB released a final report detailing its findings and emphasizing the importance of heeding meteorological warnings. It advised that such incidents can typically be mitigated or avoided entirely with proper responses to weather conditions. The airline has committed to learning from this event and improving safety measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.