A Ryanair flight from Berlin to Milan was forced to make an emergency landing on June 4 after encountering severe turbulence during a thunderstorm, leaving nine people injured, including a two-year-old child.
Flight FR8 departed from Brandenburg Airport in Berlin with 179 passengers and six crew members aboard when it encountered what experts described as a supercell thunderstorm over southern Germany. The pilot was forced to divert the aircraft to Memmingen Airport in Bavaria, approximately 70 miles west of Munich, after the plane was unable to land at Munich Airport due to severe weather conditions.
Police in Memmingen confirmed the aircraft landed safely at 8:44 p.m. local time without further incident. The extreme weather conditions had prompted the German weather service to issue severe storm warnings, with threats of hail and damaging wind gusts across the region.
According to local authorities, the injured passengers ranged in age from two to 59 years old and included one crew member. The two-year-old suffered bruising while traveling with their mother, who sustained a head injury. A 59-year-old woman complained of back pain following the turbulence event. Three of the injured individuals were transported to local hospitals for treatment, while five others received medical attention at the airport.
Emergency services were immediately deployed to Memmingen Airport after the flight’s captain requested medical assistance ahead of landing. Police indicated that the injured individuals primarily complained of back pain or head injuries resulting from the severe turbulence encounter.
Passengers described chaotic and frightening scenes aboard the aircraft during the storm encounter. Several travelers were reportedly out of their seats when the plane was struck by the turbulence, with one passenger claiming a mother and baby were in the restroom during the incident. One passenger told German media that they had never been scared before but thought the plane was going to break apart during the turbulence.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed an abrupt course change toward Memmingen during the flight, indicating the severity of the weather encounter. The aircraft had encountered what meteorologists classified as a supercell, a highly dangerous rotating thunderstorm system that can span up to 30 miles across with tornado-like winds inside.
The weather conditions across Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were severe that evening, with firefighters responding to dozens of weather-related emergencies. In nearby Ulm, a tornado damaged roofs across multiple streets, illustrating the intensity of the storm system affecting the region.
Following the emergency landing, passengers were reportedly kept on the aircraft for several hours, leaving travelers agitated and upset. The regional flight authority subsequently banned the aircraft from taking off again, preventing passengers from continuing their journey by air to Milan.
Ryanair confirmed the incident in an official statement, noting that the aircraft had diverted after experiencing air turbulence. The airline indicated that “the captain called ahead for medical assistance and the aircraft landed normally.”
To accommodate stranded passengers, Ryanair arranged alternative ground transportation from Memmingen to Milan that evening, along with a replacement flight the following morning. The airline apologized to passengers affected by the diversion and worked to get travelers to their final destination as quickly as possible.
The incident highlights the dangers posed by severe weather systems to commercial aviation. Supercells represent some of the most hazardous weather phenomena for aircraft, characterized by intense updrafts and downdrafts that can cause extreme turbulence capable of injuring passengers and crew members not properly secured.
German police and Ryanair were expected to provide additional statements regarding the incident. The emergency landing demonstrates the challenges pilots face when encountering severe weather systems and the importance of diverting to alternate airports when safety conditions require immediate action.
All injured passengers and crew members received appropriate medical attention, with the most seriously affected individuals transported to hospitals for further evaluation and treatment. The successful emergency landing prevented what could have been a more serious aviation incident during the severe weather event.
