NEED TO KNOW
EDM star Kristine W is opening up about her experience on the Delta Airline flight that suffered “significant turbulence” from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam on Wednesday, July 30.
The 62-year-old singer, whose real name is Kristine Weitz, filed a formal complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after the Delta flight DL56 had to be diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) International Airport due to the extreme turbulence.
The flight had 275 passengers and 13 crew members on board, and after its diversion, 25 people were taken to the hospital.
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“I’ve been flying for 40 years. I’ve never experienced anything this horrific in my life,” Kristine told ABC 4. “I’ve never thought, ‘Oh, we’re finished’ … and I’ve been in terrible situations flying because that’s what I do. I fly all over the planet.”
Kristine’s daughter, Elizabeth, told the outlet that one passenger “got burned with coffee.” Adding, “There was just food and drinks flying everywhere.”
“I thought we were done. I just started praying honestly,” Elizabeth admitted. She also noted that she saw passengers’ heads hitting the ceiling, including her mother. Kristine hit her head so hard that it cracked the overhead light and caused her to black out for a moment.
The plane then rapidly ascended and dropped in what the mother and daughter referred to as a complete free fall. The pilot stabilized and made an emergency landing at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Kristine’s lawyer, Evan Oshan, told the outlet that the plane’s descent was likely the height equivalent of almost two Empire State Buildings (the building is 1,454 feet tall).
Upon arrival, 25 people were transported to hospitals, which both Kristine and Elizabeth said was chaotic. “It needs to be talked about,” Kristine said. “This should never happen, and they need to find out what happened on that flight.”
The FAA is now investigating the incident. “I don’t want to get in the middle of their investigation,” Oshan told ABC 4. “What I’m most interested in is getting to the truth.”
The Delta flight departed at 4:30 p.m, and then the plane had “encountered significant turbulence while enroute,” the airline said in a release. A Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesperson for the airport confirmed to PEOPLE that the flight safely landed at around 7:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
“The aircraft, an Airbus A330-900, landed safely at MSP, and medical personnel met the flight upon arrival to evaluate customers and crew,” the airline confirmed. “The MSP Fire Department and paramedics responded to the aircraft at the gate to provide initial medical attention to passengers in need,” the spokesperson added in a statement.
“Safety is our No.1 value at Delta, and our Delta Care Team is working directly with customers to support their immediate needs,” the airline concluded.
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A representative for the FAA did not offer additional information about the investigation to PEOPLE on Tuesday.
