Severe turbulence has struck a United Airlines flight injuring several passengers and flight crew.
The pilot of United flight 1676 declared a medical emergency after sudden turbulence on approach at Billings Logan Airport, Montana.
The flight which departed from Denver, landed without incident and was met by the airport medical team and fire department.
There were 114 passengers and five flight crew aboard the Boeing 737-700 aircraft.
A United Airlines statement said three crew members and several passengers were injured, with a total of five people hospitalized.
Passenger Bill Dahlin describing the panic aboard as the plane suddenly dropped sharply without warning, said: "There was a lot of screaming and hollering."
It was revealed that several passengers were not wearing seat belts at the time of the incident.
Data from the Department of Transportation reveals an average 50 passengers suffer injuries in flight every year when not wearing seat belts.
