What is the worst airplane experience you have ever had?

Question

Crash? Turbulence? Emergency landing?

Answer 1

It was a flight I have been on countless times. I had flown to Phoenix from Cleveland on my way home to Tucson. The flight from PHX to TUS takes just 25 minutes. Usually.

I had made a last minute decision to fly home and my schedule from plane to plane was tight. I did not notice that a huge monsoon thunder storm was moving into the area.

My seat was the very last of two seats at the back of an old 737. I did not have the window seat but the flight is short and I did not care. We started to roll towards the runway and then stopped. The pilot came on the PA and said, "Well folks I'm giong to have to hold us here for a bit while we wait for this storm to move out of the area. I turned to the guy next to me and asked, "What storm?" He pointed at the window and said, "The one that's making that stop sign do that.." I leaned over and took a look. There was a stop sign waving back and forth so hard I still wonder if it didn't come off the pole. I sat back and said with a sigh, "Well in that case he can wait all night. No way I want to..."
Just then the engines shrieked and the plane lurched forward.

We were making a break for it. The pilot had decided to "go for it". I was mortified. I know too much about aviation. I kept hearing the flight voice recordings from the 737 that crashed into the Potomic River ( http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19820113-0 ) where the pilot asked the co-pilot if he thought they should take off and the response was, "Depends on how brave we feel." Famous last words huh?

The moment when the nose wheel leaves the ground is when the plane is "commited to flight". That is a "point of no return". The pilot cannot abort the flight - safely - until the plane reaches an altitude of about five thousand feet. No sooner did the under wing carriage (wheels) leave the ground did the plane shudder like a rag doll. I could see the seats wobble.

As we attempted to climb the sound of thunder and rain slamming the skin of the plane was the only thing you could hear besides the engines screaming for power. The crying started almost at the same time. I must have been white as a sheet. I do believe I left my finger prints imbedded into the armrests.

Across the aisle a hispanic lady sitting next to a U of A college guy (a freshman by his looks) brought out her rosary and was praying and crying. The college kid was acting like it was a thrill ride. The plane was not gaining altitude and everyone was aware of it. The engines continued to shriek, the flashes of lightning lit up the cabin as the cabin lights flickered, the sound of thunder and rain rang in our ears like a threat.

It did not let up. The plane stated to fishtail. That is to say that the nose would go right and the tail would go left. Back and forth with the plane rolling from one side to the other and also bouncing up and dropping down like it had found a bottomless pit. The college kids expression went from zero to terror without passing go. His face suddenly just caved in. He turned to me (why me?) and asked "Are we going to die?".
I just shook my head. I was sure we were going to be the news for the next week or two. That and ripped apart charred corpses at any moment.

Finally the ride calmed down. That is not to say the turbulance stopped. The co-pilot came on the PA and told us, in a shakey voice, (I want to make it clear: I have NEVER heard a co-pilot or a pilot sound scared. This guy had clearly been fighting for the life of our plane.) "We apologize for that ride folks. This flight usually takes only 25 minutes but we think you'll understand if we stretch this flight to about 45 so that we can fly well clear of the rest of this weather."

I told a friend of mine who works at Tucson International Airport about my flight-o-terror and he dismissed my story as an exaggeration. A few weeks later he called me and apologized. He explained that he had heard some pilots talking about my flight and one had said, "I hear they had a close call."

I just don't fly if there's a monsoon moving in to the area anymore. Would you?

Answer 2

I was on a British Airways flight from Toronto to London Heathrow once, and we had severe turbulence throughout the flight. The lights flickered several times and the you could hear the duty free cart and food cart in the galley ratteling against the wall. At one point when it had calmed down the flight crew were serving the meal when we had another horrible jolt sending the cart right down the aisle.

It was a rare case of severe turbulence, and one of the most uncomfortable 8 hour flights I've been on yet.

Answer 3

I landed in Philadelphia the day before Christmas 2005 and waited for 100 minutes on the plane until a gate was available. Once we got off the plane, I had to wait another 8 hours for my luggage. Apparently, the luggage people are union people and think it is OK to call in "sick" en mass instead of go to work. And apparently, they get away with it and get paid for it!?! I would have fired every single one that didn't come back with a legitimate note from a doctor.

I can't believe people think unions are good. They should be damn glad they even have a job. All of those poor travelers stuck at the airport. I saw old people, children, sick people, all waiting for their luggage...some containing much needed medication. People have NO idea what it is like to be poor. I NEVER called in "sick" when I wasn't legitimately sick even though my employer would have never found out and I would have gotten paid anyway. Unions protect the evil and punish the good. They totally outlived their usefulness and are way too greedy for their own good. Every private business they "graced" has gone bankrupt or moved to areas that don't have unions. Look what they did to the northeast manufacturing business. Where are the steel mills? Where are the wafer fabs?

Answer 4

My Mom and I were returning from a cruise and flying into Birmingham, AL. The captain announced that we would be landing in some bad weather and THAT was the understatement of the year. I swear at times you could feel the plane dropping out of the sky; everyone on the flight became completely silent because I think we all thought we were going to die. When the plane finally landed, everyone on board erupted into cheers and applause. As it turned out, a storm that produced a tornado that would go on to kill 11 people was what we had flown through. I'll never forget it.

Answer 5

Hi,,,, I was on a Delta flight from Anchorage Alaska,, to Salt Lake City,,,, sandwiched between a Mother and Daughter that were Samoian........for 5 hours i was a sardine in a can.. smushed... and they could not give me another seat... I was pissed .. for sure......and never will I do that again....ever ever ever....

good luck

Answer 6

None of the above. Having a rude thai airhostess who cant even speak english that well. No offense to that.But that's my worst one. By the way she's gorgeous.

Answer 7

being drunk on a plane that's flying through turbulence....what was yours??