CAT - Clear Air Turbulence. It happens.
If there was a cloud shooting upward it was not clear air.
Isn’t that typically a decrease in altitude?
Except this isn’t CAT. There was accumulating cloud that was recognized by the flight crew according to this article. Either they banged the way through rapid developing thunderstorm updraft or given that they were 40 minutes out I wonder if it was volcanic as Mona loa is doing its thing. Whatever it was it was bad. But there was some visualization of it.
As usual nobody reads the article. From the article:
“Satellite imagery later reviewed by the report’s authors showed strong cells associated with a storm system moving toward Hawaii that were near the flight path, according to the report.”
Also NBC needs to find better human proof readers or AI proof readers..
On a recent flight from Sydney to Incheon my First Officers hit clear air turbulence wile I was in the bunk. Levitated my about a foot, then slammed me into the bunk. Dropped 750’ and the climbed 800’ above our assigned altitude. I knew I needed to be back in my seat but there was no safe way to get there!