Dramatic video shows Air China passengers, crew flung into the air

Shocking video captured the moment an Air China flight hit severe clear air turbulence – injuring at least one passenger and a crew member who were flung into the air as the plane plunged several hundred feet.

Flight CA1524 was en route from Shanghai to Beijing on Monday when the Airbus A330-300 with 153 passengers and 12 crew members encountered the so-called CAT at an altitude of 35,000 feet, Aviation Source News reported.

The plane plummeted several hundred feet as some passengers and flight attendants went flying, the shocking video shows.

Passenger Xing Lida described the harrowing incident on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

“The first half of the flight was quite smooth. However, in the last 30 to 40 minutes, as people were going back and forth to the restroom, there was a sudden drop that startled everyone,” Xing wrote, the Global Times reported.

​”I saw a woman in her 40s and a flight attendant covering the woman with her body both thrown to the ceiling,” Xing, an associate professor at China University of Geosciences, told the outlet.

“The ceiling cracked and the exit sign fell to the floor next to my feet. There are some sprains and superficial injuries, he said.

“I want to give my high regard to the flight attendants of Air China. Despite their own fear, they jumped up to protect the passengers who haven’t fasten their seatbelts and held them tightly. They then proceeded to provide assistance to the injured in a professional and calm manner,” Xing added.

Images form the cabin show pillows, reading materials and other items strewn about after the frightening episode, which sparked screams among the terrified passengers.

​One passenger and a flight attendant were taken to a Beijing hospital after the flight landed safely at 5:18 p.m. local time, the airline said. Their conditions were unavailable.

Clear air turbulence — known among aviators as CAT — is sudden and severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions at high altitudes and causes planes to be shaken violently.