Five passengers were injured when a Delta Air Lines flight nosedived twice in “crazy turbulence” during stormy weather.
Three of those hurt were taken to hospital following the mid-air drama, which forced the flight from Southern California to Seattle to make an emergency landing in Reno, Nevada.
Footage filmed by a passenger showed an overturned food and drinks trolley in the plane’s aisle and snacks strewn across the floor.
“Crazy turbulence and injuries, but the @delta crew handled it perfectly, even the emergency landing,” tweeted Joe Justice.
“We did a nose dive, twice,” he added.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilots of Compass Flight 5763, which was flying under the Delta banner, reported turbulence at about 34,000 feet.
A spokesman said the plane, which had taken off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, was diverted to Reno and landed without further incident about 1pm local time (9pm GMT) on Wednesday.
There were 59 passengers and four crew members on board, according to Compass Airlines.
Emergency crews said all the passengers hurt suffered minor injuries. Two did not require medical attention.
More than 1,700 flights were cancelled this week as a winter storm swept across the US with a mix of snow, ice, and heavy rain.
The US National Weather Service overnight winds over the Sierra Nevada mountains near Reno exceeded of 130mph (209kph.)
