Northwest Flight Turbulence Sickens Passengers

Strong winds caused the pilot of a Northwest Airlines jet to abort a landing on Wednesday and touch down at a nearby airport. Three passengers who became sick as a result of the turbulence went to the hospital.

Northwest Flight 230 was heading to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from Detroit but ended up at Washington Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia.

"The plane tried to land at National but experienced severe wind, and the pilot did what we call an aborted approach," said Laura Brown, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Airbus A320 had 148 passengers and a crew of five, a Northwest spokesman said.

The National Weather Service had a wind advisory in effect for the Washington area, with winds gusts up to 40 mph during the day.

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