Severe turbulence forces a Scandinavian Airlines flight bound for Miami to return to Europe

Unrest on Thursday in Greenland forced a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Stockholm to Miami to turn back to Europe.

Dramatic video from Scandinavian Airlines Flight 957 showed the chaos that left some of the 254 passengers screaming and the cabin littered with debris.

No serious injuries were reported on the plane.

The pilots opted to make a U-turn and fly about five hours back to Copenhagen, where the plane was inspected for damage.

In a statement provided to CBS News, the airline said it had “the best facilities and staff for this level of testing” at Copenhagen Airport, and “therefore decided to reroute the aircraft here, where both hangar space and trained technicians were available.”

It added that flying the flight to Miami “will result in long delays, resulting in multiple cancellations.”

The former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board Robert Sumwalt asked why the pilots did not choose the nearest airport.

“When it comes to scheduling the flight, it should have landed at the nearest airport,” Sumwalt said. “The question will be, did they return to Copenhagen because of an emergency, or did they do it because they thought it was the safest way?”

Researchers believe climate change may be to blame great upheaval to be standard. A 2023 study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters found a 55% increase in turbulence in the North Atlantic since 1979.

“This time of year, usually, there can be a lot of turbulence,” said Laura Einsetler, the captain of the plane that flies the area. “We always try to avoid these places.”

The Federal Aviation Administration says injuries from turbulence are rare. Sumwalt says wearing a seat belt is important.

“There is technology that can prevent people from getting hurt,” said Sumwalt. “And that technology is called a seat belt.”