Two Aircrafts Encountered Severe Turbulence on 30 August 2013

Turbulence is caused by irregular motion of air. It brings about rapid bumps or jolts to aircrafts, and in serious cases momentary loss of control. On 30 August 2013, the coastal area of Guaugdong was under the influence of a broad trough of low pressure. The atmosphere was rather unstable. In that morning, thundery weather extensively affected Hong Kong and its adjacent areas. The Airport Meteorological Office issued SIGMET at 6:40 a.m. which lasted till 2:25 p.m. Two approaching flights encountered severe turbulence within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region during the period. The first one happened on HX762 of Hong Kong Airlines shortly after 9 a.m. near 20 km south of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). The second happened around noon when TG600 of Thai Airways passed through the airspace near 150 km southwest of HKIA. Report of passenger injuries has been received.

Turbulence mostly occurs near strong convective activities such as thunderstorms. It can also be encountered at the interfacing region between two air streams with different speed, direction or temperature. While pilots should take great care to maneuver through these dangerous areas or avoid them at all if possible, they were required to report the severe turbulence encounter to air traffic control unit in order to warn other aircraft nearby of the risk. Passengers, on the other hand, are always reminded to fasten their seat-belts during the whole flight to ensure safety.