Credit: Darren Ansell, Space and Aerospace Engineering Lead, University of Central Lancashire The Conversation May 12, 2016 iew photos More If you have ever travelled on an aeroplane the chances are you have experienced some form of turbulence. For those of us who fly infrequently, it can be alarming and unnerving, but rest assured that for the pilots and crew who experience turbulence every day, it is business as usual. You will normally receive a message to return to your seats and fasten your seat belts as the biggest risk is passenger injury as the aircraft is jostled about. But is it always so innocent? Earlier this month, more than 30 passengers were reportedly injured when an Etihad A330-200 airliner flew through “severe” turbulence over Indonesia . The plane landed safely, but could similar conditions trigger an even worse accident – or even destroy an aircraft? In fact, aircraft are engineer...