Five Injured After United Flight Hit Severe Turbulence on San Francisco to Singapore Route

A United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The United flight experienced severe turbulence whilst flying over Bhutan City, Philippines on March 27

Five people were injured aboard United Airlines Flight UAL29 after the aircraft encountered unexpected severe turbulence during its 17-hour journey from San Francisco to Singapore. The incident occurred on March 27 while the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was flying over Butuan City in the Philippines, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The turbulence resulted in injuries to three cabin crew members and one passenger, all of whom sustained minor injuries, while one crew member suffered a serious injury. Upon landing at Singapore Changi Airport, medical personnel treated the injured. The remaining 173 passengers and 10 crew members were unharmed.

United Airlines confirmed the incident and stated that the turbulence was brief but severe. Medical personnel met the aircraft on arrival in Singapore and transported one passenger and four flight attendants to the hospital for further evaluation. The airline commended the crew for their professionalism and efforts to ensure passenger safety.

This marks the second turbulence-related incident involving United Airlines in March. Earlier that month, five people were hospitalized following severe turbulence on a SkyWest flight operating as United Express. The flight, traveling from Springfield, Missouri, to Houston, Texas, on March 2, encountered violent turbulence caused by thunderstorms and was forced to divert to Waco Regional Airport.

The SkyWest flight had 32 people on board. Five passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a local hospital. The airline confirmed that the safety of passengers remained the top priority and arranged for alternative transportation for those affected.

While turbulence can be alarming, injuries resulting from such events are statistically rare. FAA data shows that between 2009 and 2023, only 184 serious turbulence-related injuries were recorded, with just 37 involving passengers. The rest were crew members. Given that 2.9 million people fly in and out of U.S. airports daily—totaling over a billion annually—the likelihood of being injured due to turbulence remains extremely low.