TAMPA, Fla. — Four flight attendants were hospitalized after an American Airlines flight from Tampa hit turbulence, the airline confirmed.
The flight, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, departed Tampa International Airport at 5:39 p.m. Aug. 8 and at some point encountered "unexpected turbulence," the company said in a statement.
In total, there were 154 passengers and six crew members on board. Four flight attendants were taken to the hospital; the extent of their injuries is unclear. American Airlines said there were no reported customer injuries.
"American Airlines flight 2905 with service from Tampa (TPA) to Charlotte (CLT) landed safely at CLT after encountering unexpected turbulence. We thank our crew members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding," the statement reads, in full.
VERIFY recently found incidents of turbulence on airline flights have increased more than 50% within the past 40 years, with multiple studies suggesting climate change is to blame. Other researchers say additional factors, such as a rise in overall air traffic, could be at play.
Turbulence is an irregular motion of the air resulting from eddies (circular currents or whirls of air) and vertical currents, according to the National Weather Service. The most dangerous type is clear-air turbulence, which often occurs with no visible warning in the sky ahead.
VERIFY contributed to this report.