India, Aug. 4 -- An Air India Airbus A320 flying from Phuket to Delhi on Tuesday morning experienced what the airline described as a brief turbulence-related event during cruise, causing a momentary drop of 300 feet in altitude.

Flight AI2379 landed safely at Delhi at 11.15 am but ten passengers and four crew were taken for medical checks, Air India said in a statement, adding that there were no serious injuries.

On a flight data recorder, 300 feet is a small deviation, but, in the cabin, it can be violent, especially if it comes mid-cruise. The jolt a passenger feels is essentially a mismatch in inertia: when an aircraft drops sharply, an unbelted passenger continues at the altitude it was - briefly, and by a small margin - while the a...