Delta Flight A330-900 en route to Amsterdam from Salt Lake City had to make an emergency landing after severe turbulence turned the plane sideways, sending drink carts, airline staff and passengers into the ceiling.

According to authorities, 25 people were hospitalized in what’s been called “the most extreme turbulence” event of the year. One passenger told CNN that he thought the plane was “going down.” Upon landing in Minnesota, he kissed the ground.

The turbulence was so severe that anything not strapped down was sent crashing into the ceiling. While turbulence has never caused a plane to crash, it can have some very serious effects on flight safety, so the next time you’re on a plane, please don’t ignore the flight attendant when they tell you to buckle your seatbelt. 

Delta Flight DL56 (A330‑900) from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam hit intense turbulence midair, forcing an emergency landing in Minneapolis
—275 passengers, 13 crew
—25 hospitalized
—Food carts & passengers violently thrown
One of 2025's worst turbulence cases#Alerta#earthquakepic.twitter.com/Gy9Gl6HATh

— GlobeUpdate (@Globupdate) July 31, 2025

#BREAKING Video from MSP Airport Live stream shows the moment when Delta Airlines flight 56 landed at MSP after experiencing turbulence resulting in 25 passengers injured. pic.twitter.com/RxNWsImgDJ

— Tony Perez (@Tony_MNNews) July 31, 2025