Dramatic video shows turbulence rocking AA flight

Video has surfaced showing the scene on board the American Airlines flight rocked by severe turbulence over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.

The dramatic video, likely tough viewing for all but the most-seasoned fliers, shows the aircraft appearing to bounce up and down for more than a full minute as passengers can be heard screaming and crying.

Five people were hospitalized on that flight, American Airlines Flight 280, which had been en route from Seoul to Dallas/Fort Worth. The Boeing 777 diverted to Tokyo Narita after encountering the turbulence. The aircraft was carrying 240 passengers and a crew of 15.

"This is the most-frightening thing I've ever seen," the person who appeared to be the one capturing the video can be heard saying as he professed love for his family.

John Cox, an aviation safety expert and USA TODAY's Ask the Captain columnist, suspects Tuesday's incident was likely the result of "clear air turbulence." He acknowledges the video may be frightening to travelers, but said modern aircraft are built to withstand such episodes.

"I realize it looks really bad," he says. "It's uncomfortable to be in. But is the aircraft in danger? No."

Cox also stresses that commercial pilots are trained to be ready for events like the one on Tuesday.

"You know instantly what's happened," he said about a pilot's likely reaction. Their immediate concern becomes "how many passengers were standing and where were the serving carts?"

Those most likely to get hurt in a clear air turbulence event are passengers who aren't buckled in and those who may be in the path of a serving cart that gets jolted in the turbulence.

"The scary thing for the pilots isn't for the airplane, but how to minimize the damage in the back" and to prevent injuries to passengers, Cox says.

He stresses one thing fliers can do to protect themselves: keep their seat belts buckled.

"That's the one thing we try to tell passengers, just because of this type of thing," Cox says.