We’re warning you now: Don’t continue reading this if you already have a fear of flying. The risk of Americans falling victim to a plane crash is approximately one in 11 million, but many more passengers than that walk away from a flight feeling like they’ve grown a few new grey hairs.
1: Thunderstruck
One passenger recounts hearing a deafening pop sound mid-flight, followed by cabin lights going out. An announcement came over the speakers that the plane was turning back. Not knowing what went wrong, passengers only saw the runway lit up with emergency vehicles upon landing.
It turns out that the sound was lightning striking the nose of the plane, compromising navigation gear.
2: Emergency Exit
On a 10-hour flight, an intoxicated man reportedly yelled at the flight crew, demanding they turn the plane around and refusing to stay in his seat. The man then announced that he’d let himself out instead, pulling at the emergency exit door handle with all his might.
Luckily, emergency exit door handles don’t open when the cabin is pressurized. Still, chaos ensued as surrounding passengers became increasingly upset. Flight attendants eventually dragged him to a different seat, where they tied him down and monitored him.
Unfortunately for the passengers, they discovered the plane had to make an emergency landing in Bermuda. At least they got the satisfaction of watching a police squad whisk the man away.
3: Pop Goes The Wheel?
On one flight, a tire burst on landing, resulting in a rough taxi. Luckily, the burst tire didn’t spark a fire, which sometimes happens in such situations. Had the tire burst before take off, the flight would have likely been aborted and passengers would have had to deplane.
4: Airheads
One traveler recounts a flight where the plane hit a pocket of air pressure and dropped fast without warning. Everyone was unscathed except for one passenger who wasn’t buckled up.
This passenger reportedly flew out of his seat and landed on top of others, rendered unconscious by a blow to his head.
5: Motion Sickness Gone Wrong
A husband remembers a flight with his pregnant wife where heavy turbulence worsened her nausea. Vomiting felt imminent, but paper bags were nowhere to be found.
She ended up spewing in a magazine, and hubby used his hands to funnel her vomit as best he could. They finally landed after half an hour of the awful smell and the husband dealing with sticky hands.
6: Sounds And Smells
One traveler recalls a flight where they heard loud clanging and banging. Then the smell of electrical smoke filled the cabin. The plane was also shaking. It turns out a turbine suffered a compressor failure, and the plane had to make an emergency landing.
7: When It Rains, It Pours
One traveler recalls a Las Vegas to New York flight on which the plane lost hydraulics upon takeoff. Forty-five minutes of airtime later, the cockpit was still going through checks, and it was announced that in addition to the hydraulics problem, the plane was too overweight to land. The solution? They needed to circle Vegas for two to three hours.
It was likely the first time most passengers paid full attention to the flight attendants as they explained the emergency landing protocols.
8: Final Words
Several cases of rollercoaster turbulence were reported on one flight. The situation got so bad that it made for challenging bathroom breaks and caused one traveler to mouth what they thought was a last “I love you” to their mother.
9: Flashing Lights
The thought of crashing into a large body of water makes crossing oceans scary for many passengers. One traveler recalls a flight where the cabin lights started flashing, followed by the airplane falling for several seconds just as they were above the Pacific Ocean.
10: Suspicious Alarms
On an international flight, an alarm in the cockpit went off without explanation for about 20 minutes before landing. You can only imagine the thoughts racing through the scared passengers’ minds.
11: Sustained Injuries
One traveler remembers gripping the armrest so tightly that they tore their right bicep. The cause of this terror? Hot air rushing up a mountain, causing extreme turbulence while the pilot was making a steep descent to hit the runway before landing in Palm Springs.
12: Just Breathe
A traveler talks about a terrifying few minutes when the cabin lost pressure and passengers had to mask up before an otherwise safe landing. What many of the passengers probably didn’t know is that planes only hold enough oxygen to last 10 to 14 minutes. That, in theory, gives the pilots enough time to descend below 10,000 feet, where plentiful oxygen awaits.
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