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TSB releases report on ‘severe turbulence’ that injured 37, forced Air Canada flight to divert

Click to play video: '37 passengers injured by turbulence on Air Canada flight released from hospital'
37 passengers injured by turbulence on Air Canada flight released from hospital
WATCH: 37 passengers injured by turbulence on Air Canada flight released from hospital – Jul 12, 2019

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has released its report into a severe turbulence event that left 37 people injured on an Australia-bound Air Canada flight.

Flight AC33, a twin-jet Boeing 777-200LR/F, lifted off from Vancouver at about 12:30 a.m. on July 11 with 269 passengers and 15 crew aboard.

The flight had originated in Toronto before stopping in Vancouver.

Air Canada said the flight, which was bound for Sydney, ran into “un-forecasted and sudden turbulence” about two hours past Hawaii.

It diverted to Honolulu‘s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, where passengers and crew received medical treatment.

The TSB report now confirms those details.

WATCH: Oxygen masks drop as Air Canada flight diverted because of turbulence

Click to play video: 'Oxygen masks  drop as Air Canada flight diverted because of turbulence'
Oxygen masks drop as Air Canada flight diverted because of turbulence

According to the report, flight crew reviewed weather forecasts pre-flight. That review turned up just one potentially significant pocket of weather: isolated cumulonimbus clouds several hundred miles to the west of a point on the flight path near the equator.

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That point on the flight path, known as the ADOWA waypoint, is where the turbulence occurred, according to the report.

At the time, the seatbelt sign was off, and flight attendants were preparing carts for snack service, the TSB found.

WATCH: Honolulu officials say they ‘were ready’ to handle injuries from diverted Air Canada flight

Click to play video: 'Honolulu officials say they ‘were ready’ to handle injuries from diverted Air Canada flight'
Honolulu officials say they ‘were ready’ to handle injuries from diverted Air Canada flight
“At [2 p.m.], the aircraft was near the ADOWA waypoint, 640 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, when it encountered severe turbulence at flight level 340 for 10 to 15 seconds,” said the TSB.
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“Several passengers and some of the cabin crew were thrown into the ceiling of the cabin. In total, 37 people (31 passengers and 6 cabin crew) reported sprains, strains, cuts, and bruises.”

The TSB said the aircraft’s flight recorder registered no significant turbulence before or after the occurrence.

The crew dumped fuel and diverted to Honolulu, which was about two hours away, said the TSB. During that transit time, cabin crew and medical professionals who happened to be on board tended to the injured.

A post-flight inspection found no turbulence-related operational damage to the aircraft, but some interior components and furnishings did see damage, said the TSB.

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