Attorneys filed a lawsuit in the Third Judicial District Court for Salt Lake County on Friday, alleging that Delta Air Lines flew an aircraft into known dangerous weather, resulting in injuries to at least 20 passengers. The complaint claims the crew of Delta Flight 56 ignored multiple weather warnings and failed to take emergency action after the plane encountered extreme turbulence over Wyoming.
Details of the legal filing
Aviation Law Group, P.S., and Mortensen & Milne filed the suit on June 26, 2026, representing passengers who were aboard Flight 56 when it encountered severe weather during its July 30, 2025, journey from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam. The lawsuit alleges that the Airbus A330-941 hit extreme turbulence less than an hour into the flight, forcing a diversion to Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Description of cabin injuries
The complaint describes a violent scene inside the cabin, where passengers and flight attendants were thrown about the aircraft. According to the filing, people, food, beverage carts, and personal items were tossed through the air, with some individuals striking the ceiling, overhead bins, and seat assemblies. The injuries cited in the lawsuit include head and spinal trauma, concussions, lacerations, and broken bones, as well as long-term psychological effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder and a fear of flying.
Available weather warning data
Legal representatives for the plaintiffs allege that the flight crew had access to extensive weather data before entering the turbulent zone. The complaint lists several layers of available information, including National Weather Service updates, SIGMET warnings regarding embedded thunderstorms along the route, Delta’s internal meteorology resources, and predictive turbulence data.
Warnings from air traffic control
The lawsuit specifically claims that approximately 20 minutes prior to the encounter, Salt Lake Center Air Traffic Control warned the crew of moderate to extreme convective activity located 74 miles ahead at the aircraft's 12 o'clock position. The complaint alleges the crew acknowledged seeing and visually confirming this weather but did not deviate from their course, even though other aircraft in the area were requesting deviations and controllers had offered Delta 56 permission to change course.
Technical flight data details
During the turbulence event, which lasted approximately two and a half minutes at an altitude of 37,000 feet, flight data reportedly shows the aircraft underwent a violent upset. The plane experienced repeated abrupt climbs and descents, with vertical forces fluctuating between +1.75 g and -0.5 g. The aircraft also pitched from 10 degrees nose-up to 5 degrees nose-down, rolled as far as 40 degrees to the left, and exceeded its maximum operating speed.
The complaint alleges that the turbulence was so severe that the autopilot disengaged, leaving the first officer to perform manual upset recovery procedures to regain control of the aircraft.
The lawsuit also challenges Delta's decision-making following the initial turbulence. The complaint alleges that within minutes of recovering from the event, the crew knew or should have known that passengers were injured and that the aircraft had exceeded its maximum operating speed, which raised concerns regarding potential structural damage.
Despite these conditions, the plaintiffs allege that Delta did not declare an emergency or request expedited routing from air traffic control. The lawsuit further claims the airline declined expedited handling when asked if it was required. Instead of diverting to a closer suitable airport such as Denver or Salt Lake City, the aircraft continued for more than 90 minutes to land at its large hub in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Because the incident involved an international flight, the lawsuit includes claims under the Montreal Convention. The complaint asserts that the turbulence event constitutes an "accident" under the treaty, making Delta strictly liable for the resulting passenger injuries.
Aviation Law Group is currently seeking information and witnesses from anyone who was a passenger or crew member on Delta Flight 56 on July 30, 2025.
