Surviving the Scariest Flights Ever

Flying can feel like the finest form of travel - until something unexpected happens, such as extreme weather or mechanical issues. Then all of a sudden, you’ve got a nightmare in the sky. Recounting their experiences on Quora, let’s hear from three airline passengers who experienced their own personal harrowing situations while in the air - and lived to tell the tales.

1. Holiday Horror Flight to Pittsburgh

“I was coming home for the holidays during my first semester at college. Flying into Pittsburgh, the weather was truly awful - a sleet/snow mix, windy, limited visibility. … On final approach to the runway, a crosswind hit the plane, and we dipped strongly one side. Honestly, I thought we were going to flip and crash just short of the runway, and all I could think was “this is not how I want to die.” The very next day, or maybe it was that same day, was the Lockerbie bombing, and I was a little freaked out to get back on a plane after the holidays, but statistically, flying still remains the safest means of mass transit.” - Cheryl Lemanski

2. Roller Coaster in the Sky

“The one time I experienced true severe turbulence was on a Swissair flight from Zurich to Boston a few days before Christmas with my wife. … A few hours into the flight the pilot came on and said that we were going to hit some rough air and for the flight attendants to pick up drinks, secure carts and to strap in. It got rough, rougher than I’d ever experienced. … The Buddhist monk next to me starting praying. …

“Then we dropped hard. I don’t know how many feet but it was like a roller coaster’s first drop. I floated hard out of my seat only to be held down by my seat belt and I’m not a small guy. The monk’s prayer book hit the ceiling. A few overhead bins opened up and things fell out. The noise sounded like, and it actually felt like, we hit something when we stopped falling but we were above 30,000′ over the Atlantic so we obviously didn’t hit something. The air was that hard. And we were at about a 45 degree tilt.

“Luckily the crew had everyone strapped in and everything secured because we were in the middle of bad turbulence or there would have been injuries. …

“A minute later we were back into clear air. The FA’s came through to make sure everyone was fine and helped people get things back into the overheads. My wife and I found each other and hugged for a long time. Then they offered free drinks to anyone who wanted one, or four.” - Sean Quinn

3. Brace, Brace, Brace!

“I was on a flight from Denver, CO to Cedar Rapids, IA on a 747. It was full. When we departed Denver I heard a big THUNK right underneath me, and a little boy behind me heard it as well. He said to me, ‘what was that?’ And I jokingly said, ‘oh, we just hit a pothole or something.’ He replied, ‘there aren’t potholes on a runway.’ Needless to say, about halfway through our flight, the pilot gets on the intercom and says that we are turning around and heading back to Denver. We’ve lost brake pressure and have some damage to our landing gear. He didn’t feel the airport in Iowa had a long enough landing strip for our emergency.

“Everyone gasps and the entire cabin is buzzing with nervous chatter. Then a stewardess says, ‘in the meantime we are going to study exits and the brace position.’ People started getting out crosses, rosaries, bibles… . Some were crying and freaking out. We practiced the entire time until we reached the Denver airport. We then had to fly super low 3 times over the airport so that mechanics could visualize the landing gear. The pilot then came over the intercom and said, ‘Everyone take the brace position. We’re preparing for an emergency landing.’

"The stewardess was yelling nonstop, ‘BRACE, BRACE! Heads down! BRACE, BRACE, Heads down!’ This went on for 10 minutes or so. We started landing and skidded off the runway a bit and bounced all over. People were screaming and yelling -It seemed to go on forever! Then we stopped and it was deathly quiet. We looked out and there were sirens and ambulances and fire trucks everywhere. Then everyone started cheering and clapping and hugging. We departed the plane and were comped tickets to anywhere in the U.S.” - Linette Olsen Lacinda

Although these terrifying moments highlight the unpredictability of flying, air travel is still considered one of the safest forms of travel, statistically. So, buckle up and remember that if you experience a similar situation while flying, at least you’ll have a great story to tell!

References: What was your most scary flying experience as a passenger? How did it affect your mental preparedness for subsequent flights? | Were you ever on a flight where the turbulence was just too bad and scary? | Have you ever been in an airplane that had to do an emergency landing?