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Wild footage shows a research plane violently shaking from turbulence as it flew directly into Hurricane Milton.
The video footage, released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aircraft Operations Center, shows the view from the passenger-side window of the plane, dubbed “Miss Piggy.”
The Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft flies through grey sky as it is pounded by the elements, including unrelenting rain.
“Bumpy ride into Hurricane #Milton on @NOAA WP-3D Orion,” the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center account said in a post on X.
According to the agency, the reason for the trip was to collect data for hurricane research and help improve the storm’s forecast.
There were at least four NOAA researchers inside the plane.
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An electrical engineer identified by the New York Post as Tom Brannigan sits at the Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System as the plane shakes.
Turbulence intensifies, causing a plastic bag tied to a shelf in front of the researcher to rotate 180 degrees, spilling its contents onto the floor.
“Can you grab my phone real quick?” says programs integration engineer Nick Underwood, who is filming the happenings.
As Brannigan reaches for his colleague’s phone, the turbulence increases, causing items to fly off a shelf on the plane.
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While pointing his camera to the back of the plane, Underwood shows objects strewn about the floor.
“Damn,” he says with a laugh.
“Holy crap,” Underwood says as he shows another of his colleagues gripping a cooler tightly.
“Our NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft have been flying into storms for almost 50 years,” said Jonathan Shannon, public affairs specialist for the operations centre.
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