By The Survivors Club Staff
August 3, 2009

When the pilot says you should always keep your seat belt fastened, there's good reason. 

A Continental Airlines 767 with 179 people on board severe "clear-air" turbulence over the Atlantic early today, injuring at least 26 — including four seriously.  The plane made an emergency landing in Miami.

Continental Flight 128 from Brazil to Texas dropped without warning while flight attendants were working in the aisles.  Some unbuckled passengers and air crew were thrown against the roof.

The fasten seat belt sign was illuminated at the time, according to the airline.

Is turbulence dangerous? Can turbulence crash a plane?

According to AirSafe.com, a well-regarded online resource, "Passengers are at risk of injury from falling debris during turbulence, as well as during other events like hard landings. A study published by the Flight Safety Foundation that surveyed airlines in the mid-1990s showed that an estimated 10,000 passengers were injured each year by falling luggage. Passengers sustained injuries ranging from bruises to lacerations to severe head trauma. Sometimes those suffering head trauma may not show symptoms for several hours or days, and the effects of the trauma may linger for several months."

While fatalities are rare, AirSafe says, they do happen. Since 1980, AirSafe.com has identified six events where at least one passenger was killed on a jet airliner as the result of turbulence. Less severe injuries are more common. For example, during the five-year period 2003-2007, the NTSB identified 57 turbulence events on airliners that involved a serious injury to at least one person on the aircraft."

There are many different kinds of turbulence.  Each presents a difference challenge.  From an excellent article by a pilot in Salon: "There are, in fact, different causes and kinds of turbulence, a phenomenon that is no less inherent a part of the sky than, say, clouds or a balmy summer breeze. Collectively speaking, turbulence is no more or less dangerous than the wind itself. As a pilot, I worry about "turbulence" the way a sailor might worry about "the waves."

How to Reduce Your Risks

Here are a few basic steps:

• Follow instructions. If the crew suggests that passengers return to their seats, do so as soon as you can.
• Wear your seat belt at all times, even during a smooth flight on a cloudless day.
• Be aware of your overhead bin. Avoid sitting under a bin that is heavily packed or that contains one or more heavy items. If you can, move to a seat that is not directly under a bin.