I was on an airplane last night, flying over a thunderstorm. It was so beautiful. The sky was dark, almost navy, and you could see amazing flashes of light below.
About 10 minutes or so after this, it felt like the airplane was going to be ripped from the sky. The plane must have dropped 50 feet or more in an instant and shook violently. Drinks were thrown all over the cabin. People were screaming. It lasted maybe 10-15 seconds. One woman was screaming she was going to die. Some people began to pray. I’ve flown over 100,000 miles in my life, and never felt anything like this.
I just sat there, and when it was over I put on some of my favorite music. For a very brief moment I felt happy that I was alive.
9 comments
Great post. Thanks for sharing this.
You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed reading it.
That’s one thing you have over everyone else when you’re suicidal. You have a brush with death and it doesn’t phase you. You’re unaffected and not moved by anything. You’re the iceman. At least this is how I feel in my experience.
A similar thing happened to me flying back from Majorca to the UK at night in 1995. The worst thing is the helplessness, the realization that you’re in the hands of fate and there’s nothing you can do about it. I’ve been nervous about flying ever since.
I’ve been on more than 100 flights and it’s the only time something like this happens. You do feel helpless in the moment, but when you get a chance to think about it afterwards, it’s a common event, I’m sure it happens every day.
As much as I’m, certainly, not pleased with the fact that you went through such a scary & dangerous experience
I’m hopeful that maybe this would help you see & feel how precious & important your life is
& that it’s really a blessing & something to be grateful for
I know that, as you mention, the feeling might have been only “for a moment”…
but if you can rehearse that moment in your head whenever you feel down
I’m hopeful that you will gradually start viewing life differently 🙂
In pilot speak we call that Severe Turbulence. Your 100,000 air miles suggest you have been aloft about 250 hours of your life. I have been aloft about 4000 hours and at most experienced perhaps one second of Severe on each of four occasions. But you experienced 10 to 15 seconds of it. I cannot imagine what that would that would have been like but I do know it has happened to countless others before you.
I must confess that it was only through regular exposure to strong turbulence that I could keep conditioned to maintain my own composure as a pilot, so yes it is very upsetting to some as you indeed noticed. Sorry this happened to you.
BTW, I stopped piloting aircraft more than a decade ago and now only go up perhaps an hour a year nowadays only as a passenger and that only in very good weather.
Just curious, do have plans to go up again anytime soon?
It was surprising. The 10-15 seconds was hard to gauge, time almost stands still as I’m sure you know.
I’m sure it was caused by an abrupt change from high to low pressure as we went through the front of the storm.
The flight crew didn’t seem too phased, and the only injury was caused by flying hot tea. 250 hours seems about right…. but I can only keep track of miles because airlines make it easy.
I’ll be flying at least 6 more times this year, I’d likely be more concerned if I hadn’t been on so many flights before.
Safe flights <3