severe turbulence
Extreme aircraft instability
Severe turbulence is violent, unpredictable air movement that tosses aircraft sharply and can injure unsecured passengers.
Aviation classifies turbulence from light to extreme; severe means occupants are thrown against seatbelts and loose objects become airborne.
Pilots avoid it when possible: The captain diverted around an area of severe turbulence.
The phrase sometimes describes any intensely chaotic situation: The company entered a period of severe turbulence after the scandal broke.
- bumpyUneven in surface
- joltingShaking with sudden force
- shakingRapid involuntary movement
- air pocketLow-density atmospheric zone
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
airplane · seatbelt · fasten seatbelts · storm · rough · violent · choppy · airsickness · plunging · dropping · cabin crew · flight attendant · brace position · fear · panic · gripping · white knuckle · hold on tight
- turbulencechop, bumps, eddies, vortices, wind shear
- aviation disastersplane crash, air crash, midair collision, crash landing, crash site
severe, severely, severity, severities, turbulence, turbulent, turbulently, perturb, perturbation