8 hospitalized after 'sudden severe turbulence' on Florida-bound flight

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WFLA) -- Eight people were hospitalized Monday after being injured during rough skies on a flight to Florida.

Passengers and crew aboard the JetBlue flight experienced "sudden severe turbulence" as the plane approached Florida from Guayaquil, Ecuador, according to a statement from the airline.

Medical crews responded to the plane after it landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Seven passengers and one flight crew member were taken to the hospital.

In a statement, a JetBlue spokesperson said the airline is working to support their customers and crew members. The plane involved in the incident is out of service pending an inspection.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating, the agency told ABC.

Last month, 11 people were hospitalized after their Delta Air Lines flight encountered turbulence. The flight from Milan, Italy was traveling to Atlanta when the crew reported severe turbulence, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The flight was able to land safely. Eleven passengers and crew members were taken to the hospital, Delta said, but details on injuries or conditions weren't available.

Another Florida-bound hit turbulence in July, injuring four passengers and flight attendants. The flight dropped from about 18,000 feet to 13,000 feet in less than two minutes, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.

“There was a sudden burst of turbulence and then major, major turbulence,” Paul Harris, a passenger on the Allegiant flight told Nexstar's WFLA. “The plane felt like it dropped pretty considerably. Several people, including a lady in my row, hit the ceiling.”

WFLA's Kevin Accettulla and The Associated Press contributed to this report.