American Airlines officials have confirmed that Flight 280 from Seoul to Dallas-Fort Worth was diverted to Tokyo on Tuesday night, as a result of fourteen turbulence-related injuries on board. The Boeing 777-200 was carrying 240 passengers and 15 crew members.
Radar image at the time of the Flight 280 turbulence incident
Japan's public broadcaster, NHK said 10 of the injuries were to passengers, while four crew members were also hurt when the plane encountered severe turbulence while flying east over the Pacific Ocean.
The Weather Channel reports that a powerful winter storm is developing over Japan, and is associated with 200-240MPH winds up in the jet stream at around 35,000 feet, where many airlines fly. On Hokkaido, the town of Shintoku has already reported 22 inches of snow.
Top image: American 777, by Mark Harkin (Flickr / CC Commercial License)