A passenger onboard a private jet was killed on Friday when the aircraft hit severe turbulence while heading to Virginia and was forced to divert.
Three passengers and two crew members were on board the Bombardier Challenger 300 aeroplane when turbulence hit the aircraft, according to a statement from the transportation safety board.
The plane was travelling from Keene, New Hampshire, to Leesburg, Virginia, but due to the flying conditions, it was forced to divert to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, the Boston Globe reported.
FlightAware said the plane took off from Keene airport at 3.55 pm and landed at Bradley airport 20 minutes later.
Connecticut State Police responded to a call for medical assistance at the airport around 3:49 pm local time, according to Sarah Salerno, a spokesperson for the State Police.
The extent of the damage to the aircraft was unclear and it is unknown whether the victim was wearing a seatbelt. Connecticut state police confirmed one person was taken to a hospital but didn’t provide further details.
Sarah Taylor Sulick, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB ), told the Globe that she had no information on what exactly happened to the passenger or if anyone else's injuries were severe.
New York Post said the cockpit voice and data recorders, the black box, has been taken by the NTSB so the onboard flight can be investigated. They are also interviewing two crew members and the remaining passengers.
The jet is owned by Conexon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration database, which is a company that works towards providing high-speed internet to rural areas.
In an emailed statement, to NBC, the company said an aircraft owned by Conexon was involved in an incident that required an emergency landing.
"The reported fatality was not a Conexon employee," the statement said.
Bombardier in a statement extended its "sincerest sympathies to all those affected by this accident."
The Federal Aviation Administration will also be investigating the incident.
Death from turbulence is extremely uncommon. However, on Wednesday, seven people were hospitalised after a Lufthansa flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport in Virginia due to turbulence.
The flight from Austin, Texas, bound for Frankfurt, Germany, was diverted after the plane experienced "severe turbulence" while over Tennessee.
The plane was carrying 172 passengers and 12 crew members aboard, including actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife, according to CBS News.
Since 1980, AirSafe.com has identified six fatal turbulence accidents where at least one passenger was killed on a jet airliner. Less severe injuries are more common. For example, during the seven-year period 2003-2009, the NTSB identified 80 turbulence events on airliners that involved a serious injury to at least one person on the aircraft.
