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Emirates Plane Loses Altitude Over India, 12 Hurt

   25 April 2010

   A  passenger plane flying from Dubai to India hit an air pocket Sunday
   over India, plunging 4,600 meters, injuring more than a dozen people.

   The  plane  dropped  from a height of about approximately 7,620 meters
   before the pilot could bring the aircraft under control.

   Aviation officials say some of the injured passengers were not wearing
   seat belts when the plane fell.

   The aircraft carried 361 passengers and 14 crew members.

   The Emirates Boeing 777 landed safely at its destination, the southern
   Indian city of Kochi, where doctors examined the passengers.

   An  air  pocket  is  a downward air current that causes an aircraft to
   lose altitude abruptly.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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