Passengers on a flight to Paraguay encountered a harrowing journey as a severe storm caused significant damage to their plane. The LATAM A320 flight was en route to the capital city of Asunción from Santiago, Chile when bad weather forced the pilots to perform a go-around and divert to Foz de Iguacu Airport in Brazil.
After waiting on the ground for more than three hours, the aircraft took off again for Asunción, but as they approached the destination, they flew into a hailstorm. Unverified videos from onboard the plane show passengers screaming and being thrown around as the plane encountered severe turbulence.
On landing, the extent of the damage became apparent. The nose cone, which protects the radar, was completely destroyed, the cockpit window was smashed, and an engine was also reportedly damaged. Despite the severe damage to the plane, none of the 48 passengers or crew were hurt in the incident.
In a statement to aeronauticapy.com, LATAM Airlines Paraguay confirmed that “Flight LA1325 (Santiago de Chile-Asunción) experienced severe weather conditions during its flight path”. The statement further went on to say, “The aircraft made an emergency landing in Asunción, a procedure that was carried out without problems at 23:09 (local time). Both passengers and crew are in good condition.”
The incident has prompted an investigation by the airline to determine the cause of the severe damage and to ensure that measures are put in place to prevent such occurrences in the future. The safety of passengers and crew is of the utmost importance and the airline is committed to providing a safe and comfortable journey for all of its passengers.
