Nineteen passengers and crew aboard an All Nippon Airways jumbo jet bound for Guam from Kansai airport were injured when the plane hit turbulence early Monday, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said.
One passenger suffered a broken ankle and the 18 others minor injuries when the Boeing 747 entered rough air over the Pacific some 240 km north-northwest of Guam around 1:20 a.m. Japan time. The airplane arrived in Guam at 1:49 a.m., ministry officials said.
The plane, which was carrying 286 passengers and 14 crew, left the Kansai airport before 11 p.m. Sunday and was flying at an altitude of 11,700 meters when it encountered the turbulence, they said.
The ministry's Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission will look into the case, the officials said.