One moment, you’re cruising at 35,000 feet, munching on pretzels and watching Friends … again. The next, the plane jolts, your stomach drops, and you’re grabbing your armrest as the aircraft bounces through the sky.
While modern passenger jets are built to withstand significant turbulence, severe conditions can seriously injure passengers in seconds and have contributed to fatal aviation accidents.
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So, what actually happens when a plane hits turbulence, can it really bring an aircraft down, and is the risk to air travellers getting worse?
What is turbulence?
Turbulence occurs when an aircraft flies through disturbed air, causing sudden changes in its movement that passengers experience as bumps, jolts or drops.
There are several types of turbulence which occur in different weather conditions and at different stages of a flight, international safety consultancy firm Avlaw Aviation Consulting chair and meteorology lecturer Professor Ron Bartsch told 7NEWS.com.au.
One type occurs around jet streams, which are narrow bands of fast-moving air found at high altitudes typically about 30,000 feet to 35,000 feet.
Aircraft can encounter turbulence around the boundaries of these streams, where winds change speed or direction.
This phenomenon is known as clear-air turbulence and can occur without visible clouds, making it difficult for pilots to anticipate and avoid.
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Thunderstorms are another source, producing powerful rising and descending air currents that can cause an aircraft to jolt or change altitude.
Mountains and other physical obstacles can also disrupt airflow, creating sudden updrafts and downdrafts. This is known as mechanical turbulence.
How dangerous is turbulence?
For passengers, turbulence can feel alarming, particularly when an aircraft suddenly drops or jolts without warning.
But the sensation inside the cabin does not necessarily reflect the danger to the aircraft itself.
Modern commercial aircraft are designed and certified to withstand significant forces during flight, including those associated with severe turbulence.
“The aircraft is certified to very high standards so that they can absorb severe turbulence,” Bartsch said.
Footage from inside a Singapore Airlines plane shows the aftermath of severe turbulence. Credit: Sunrise
Pilots also have procedures for managing turbulent conditions, including reducing the aircraft’s speed to limit the forces acting on its structure.
Aircraft have a turbulence penetration speed, which pilots can use in appropriate conditions to help minimise structural loads during a turbulent encounter.
However, even when the aircraft itself is not in danger, turbulence can pose a serious risk to people inside the cabin.
Passengers who are not wearing seatbelts can be thrown from their seats and hit overhead compartments, the ceiling or other passengers.
Cabin crew are particularly vulnerable because they spend much of their time moving around the aircraft.
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority identifies turbulence as the leading cause of in-flight injuries to passengers and crew.
Can turbulence cause a plane to crash?
Simply put, yes. Severe atmospheric conditions, including turbulence associated with thunderstorms and dangerous wind shear, have contributed to fatal aviation accidents.
However, there is an important distinction between turbulence itself bringing down an aircraft and turbulent weather creating dangerous conditions that lead to a crash.
Wind shear, for example, occurs when wind speed or direction changes suddenly over a short distance. Often associated with thunderstorms, it can be particularly dangerous during take-off and landing.
Bartsch said a sudden change in wind could cause an aircraft to lose airspeed rapidly, potentially bringing it close to its stalling speed.
“If an aircraft is coming in to land and suddenly encounters a strong tailwind, its speed through the air can drop rapidly,” he explained.
“If that speed drops too far, the aircraft can approach its stalling speed.”
One of the most notorious examples is Delta Air Lines Flight 191, which crashed while approaching Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in August 1985 after encountering a thunderstorm-related microburst and wind shear.
Delta Air Lines Flight 191, crashed while approaching Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in August 1985. Credit: Al Drago/Getty Images
The crash killed 137 people, including a person on the ground, and prompted improvements in the detection of wind shear and warnings issued to flight crews.
Modern aircraft and airports use systems designed to help pilots identify and respond to dangerous wind-shear conditions. Bartsch said onboard equipment can warn pilots of the danger, prompting them to take immediate action.
Airlines can also reduce the risk by avoiding hazardous weather, changing flight paths, or diverting to another airport.
Footage from inside a Singapore Airlines plane shows the aftermath of severe turbulence. Credit: Sunrise
The turbulence incident that killed a passenger
In May 2024, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 encountered severe turbulence while travelling from London to Singapore.
The Boeing 777 was diverted to Bangkok, where passengers and crew could receive medical treatment. One passenger died and dozens more were injured.
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 encountered severe turbulence while travelling from London to Singapore. Credit: Sakchai Lalit/AP
The final investigation, released in May 2026, found the turbulence was likely associated with rapidly developing convective clouds, which can generate powerful updrafts and downdrafts.
Investigators also found the aircraft’s weather radar likely did not detect the hazardous weather before the encounter.
The investigation found rapid changes in gravitational forces caused unrestrained occupants to be lifted from their seats before falling back down.
The seatbelt sign was activated after the turbulence began but the most severe jolts followed just 17 seconds later, leaving little time for passengers to react.
Bartsch said the incident illustrated the risks associated with severe turbulence, particularly for passengers who were not wearing seatbelts.
Is turbulence becomming more common?
There is growing scientific interest in whether climate change is contributing to more frequent or severe turbulence, particularly at high altitudes.
Research published by the University of Reading in 2023 found severe clear-air turbulence over a typical point in the North Atlantic increased by 55 per cent between 1979 and 2020.
Researchers said the findings were consistent with the effects of climate change.
The result relates to a particular region and type of turbulence, rather than showing that all turbulence worldwide has increased by the same amount, but it does suggest climate change may be contributing to more frequent and severe clear-air turbulence in some parts of the world.
Bartsch said research had suggested changing weather patterns associated with climate change could contribute to increased turbulence.
“If it is true that with climate change there’s an increasing amount or incidence of clear-air turbulence, then that’s something that may become more prominent in the future,” he said.
Footage from inside a Singapore Airlines plane shows the aftermath of severe turbulence. Credit: Sunrise
What should passengers do?
Bartsch’s advice to passengers is to keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you are seated, even when the seatbelt sign is switched off.
That is because turbulence can occur unexpectedly, without giving the crew enough time to warn passengers.
Passengers should also follow crew instructions, return to their seats when directed, and secure their seatbelts promptly when the sign comes on.
The advice is particularly important during descent and landing, when aircraft can encounter changing weather conditions and cabin crew may be moving around to prepare the cabin.
A bumpy flight does not automatically mean a plane is in danger of crashing. But severe turbulence can strike with little warning, putting passengers who are not secured in their seats at risk.
The simplest precaution remains one of the most effective: buckle up.
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