Los Angeles, United States: Four flight attendants were injured when United Airlines Flight UA1157 encountered severe turbulence during its descent into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The Boeing 777, operating from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Los Angeles, landed safely. The aircraft was carrying 190 passengers and 10 crew members, and no passenger injuries were reported by the airline.
According to reports citing air traffic control (ATC) audio, the turbulence occurred at approximately 27,000 feet, about 10 miles before the aircraft’s approach, and lasted around five seconds. The pilot reported the encounter to air traffic control while approaching Los Angeles. The precise location and atmospheric cause of the turbulence have not been independently established in a published investigation report.
The pilot described the encounter in a radio transmission, saying, “It only lasted a couple seconds. Felt like wake turbulence.” In another transmission, the pilot reportedly told controllers, “It felt like wake turbulence but we’re smooth now.” Wake turbulence consists of swirling air vortices generated behind an aircraft. However, the pilot’s comparison was an initial description, not a confirmed finding about what caused the incident.
Four flight attendants received medical attention after the aircraft arrived at LAX, and one was transported to a hospital for further treatment, according to United Airlines. The airline did not publicly disclose the full extent of the four crew members’ injuries or provide a subsequent update on the hospitalised attendant’s condition in the reports reviewed.
Passengers described the turbulence as a sudden drop that caused alarm in the cabin. Marly Wadlington, a passenger travelling from Honolulu to Los Angeles, told ABC7: “I was watching a movie and all of a sudden we just dropped.” She added that the aircraft began shaking and passengers were yelling.
Another passenger, Tami Dandoy, told PEOPLE that passengers’ bodies were lifted from their seats during the encounter. She also described seeing a flight attendant with blood on her head and leg. These accounts indicate the sudden nature of the disturbance, although the precise movements of the aircraft and the circumstances of each crew member’s injury have not been independently established.
The aircraft continued its approach and landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday evening. Medical personnel were requested to attend the aircraft after the crew reported injuries. Reports based on flight-tracking data indicate that the aircraft remained on the tarmac while awaiting a gate, with the injured flight attendants still on board.
United confirmed that four flight attendants were assessed by medical personnel and that one was taken to hospital. The airline reported no injuries among the 190 passengers. There were 10 crew members aboard, including the flight attendants who were injured.
A United Airlines spokesperson provided the following statement, “Four flight attendants were seen by medical personnel, including one being transported to the hospital for further treatment.”
The airline also confirmed that the turbulence occurred during the aircraft’s descent and that no injuries were reported among the passengers. The statement did not identify the cause of the turbulence or provide further details about the injured attendants’ medical conditions.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that Flight 1157 landed safely after the crew reported severe turbulence and said it would investigate the incident. No final determination of the cause was available in the reports reviewed as of October 23, 2026.
Although the pilot referred to wake turbulence, that description should not be treated as an official conclusion. The cause remains unconfirmed, and further information from the FAA or other relevant authorities may clarify the circumstances of the encounter.
The available information does not establish whether the seat-belt sign was illuminated, whether the injured attendants were seated or standing when the turbulence struck, or whether any specific operational procedure contributed to the injuries.
