An FAA spokesperson confirmed this in an email that Flight 469 had landed “without incident” in Northern Virginia at about 9:10 p.m. local time. The crew reported experiencing severe turbulence at 37,000 feet over Tennessee, he added.
A passenger on the flight said the plane went into “free fall” as dinner got underway. The passenger, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern that Lufthansa would not provide compensation, said people and food “went into the air and hit and even damaged the ceiling of the plane”.
Someone in the seat in front of the passenger was “seriously injured” with blood spatter, the passenger said. The injured man was wheeled off the plane in a wheelchair, the passenger said.
The passenger was traveling with a companion and both were unharmed, although their clothes were soiled with food and wine. The airline paid for a hotel room and taxi, but did not help with other expenses, the passenger said.
Lufthansa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident.
Katerina Ang in Seoul contributed to this report.
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