Worst flight ever

My worst flight ever was a few years ago, flying to Belfast from Liverpool on EJ. There was a thunderstorm and for the first time ever i really didnt think id be getting off the plane alive. It was horrendous, even the cabin crew looked scared and loads of pax were screaming and crying. It was like someone had hold of the aircraft and were violently shaking it. It almost flipped over a few times.

In regards to Virgin, it was flying back from LAX April 2006. The flight was really smooth, but for about 30 mins we hit really bad turbulence, i thought the wings were gonna snap. A guy at the side of me was squeezing my arm, the whole plane was on lock down. Pretty scary. For even the most seasoned of fliers.

Finally was a flight from Zurich, I had just connected from Cairo and was desperate to get back to LHR. The plane was taking off and suddenly there was a huge jerk followed by severe shaking. I looked outside and saw lightening.

Saying that, that really is 3 flights over more than a hundred. The vast majority have only had minor turbulence taking off and landing. In fact i flew to MCO last Jan and dont even remember a single bump the whole way.

So......... anyone else?








Topic moved by mod as it is not a Virgin Atlantic discussion.... Nick

Originally posted by stu
My worst flight ever was a few years ago, flying to Belfast from Liverpool on EJ. There was a thunderstorm and for the first time ever i really didnt think id be getting off the plane alive. It was horrendous, even the cabin crew looked scared and loads of pax were screaming and crying. It was like someone had hold of the aircraft and were violently shaking it. It almost flipped over a few times.

In regards to Virgin, it was flying back from LAX April 2006. The flight was really smooth, but for about 30 mins we hit really bad turbulence, i thought the wings were gonna snap. A guy at the side of me was squeezing my arm, the whole plane was on lock down. Pretty scary. For even the most seasoned of fliers.

Finally was a flight from Zurich, I had just connected from Cairo and was desperate to get back to LHR. The plane was taking off and suddenly there was a huge jerk followed by severe shaking. I looked outside and saw lightening.

Saying that, that really is 3 flights over more than a hundred. The vast majority have only had minor turbulence taking off and landing. In fact i flew to MCO last Jan and dont even remember a single bump the whole way.

So......... anyone else?

Have you ever thought about joining Virgins nervous flyer programme, you'd make a great instructor[}:)]

Originally posted by goanmad

Originally posted by stu
My worst flight ever was a few years ago, flying to Belfast from Liverpool on EJ. There was a thunderstorm and for the first time ever i really didnt think id be getting off the plane alive. It was horrendous, even the cabin crew looked scared and loads of pax were screaming and crying. It was like someone had hold of the aircraft and were violently shaking it. It almost flipped over a few times.

In regards to Virgin, it was flying back from LAX April 2006. The flight was really smooth, but for about 30 mins we hit really bad turbulence, i thought the wings were gonna snap. A guy at the side of me was squeezing my arm, the whole plane was on lock down. Pretty scary. For even the most seasoned of fliers.

Finally was a flight from Zurich, I had just connected from Cairo and was desperate to get back to LHR. The plane was taking off and suddenly there was a huge jerk followed by severe shaking. I looked outside and saw lightening.

Saying that, that really is 3 flights over more than a hundred. The vast majority have only had minor turbulence taking off and landing. In fact i flew to MCO last Jan and dont even remember a single bump the whole way.

So......... anyone else?

Have you ever thought about joining Virgins nervous flyer programme, you'd make a great instructor[}:)]

Actually just thought how this might look to a nervous flier!

Can i just reiterate that in 99% of flights they have been fairly uneventful...

[:p]

I had a flight coming back from SFO with VS many years ago, I was coming to London to see friends (originated in PER) we boarded and the pilot explained that it would be a bumpy flight due to clear air turbulence, and to have your seat belt on at all times. We were on our 2nd drinks round before dinner and it suddenly hit, I came out of my seat and hit my head on the over head locker. I was total chaos, people were screaming, crying, it was awful. I was flying on my own and it was very scary this went on for most of the flight with no food being able to be served.

That was probably my worse flight ever, I thought that we would never reach LHR and have never been so glad to reach, grey, cold England!

DMB

Sounds like a real barrel of laughs Dominic[?]

Was on a VS, LGW-JFK flight eight years ago and we suddenly 'dropped like a stone' after this the seat belt lights went on and nobody moved for over an hour, a short while later the nose went down and we lost height very rapidly, the Captain made an anouncement saying he was trying to find a more comfortable FL[:$][:$]

Thats the worst I have had.[}:)]

Worst flight had to have been flying back from JFK in 2001 (back in my Y days). We hit the most almighty turbulance over Boston. So bad that even the crew had to sit down, people were throwing up rows infront and my legs were violently shaking from side to side. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life.

Worst non VS flight was back to Coventry with Thomson Fly from Amsterdam. It was late, most of the passengers were bottom of the food chain (clothes in carrier bag, blood down shirt, knuckles on floor) and the whole flight had a frisson of menace I was convinced it was going to kick off mid air at any moment.

My worst flights I've reported somewhere on here, but the worst turbulence was back in '71. I was on a real rollercoaster from LAX or PHX to DTW, and I was out of my seat when it started.

The flight was one of the old 2-4-2 widebodies the American carriers used at the time. I was walking back to the lavs in the tail section when the weirdest thing happened. The plane literally dropped under me and I flew down the plane. Fortunately, there was nobody else in the aisle, not even a cart, and I stayed upright. I remember the faces of the other pax as I whizzed by, seemingly levitating the length of the plane (I'd been seated at the coach/first bulkhead). Something I've never forgotten is the look of absolute terror on the stewardess just outside the port lavatory. That's when it hit me what had happened - and how lucky I was to be alive. [oo]

I hadn't felt a thing while it happened, but I was sure glad to be at the lavs afterwards. It also took me forever to get back to an empty seat (a row at a time) after we started a fast descent to O'Hare. Someone else hadn't been as lucky as I.

[Darren Wheeler]

LHR-SFO. They ran out of champange around Greenland. Never fully recovered from that.

Are you still in counselling?

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
LHR-SFO. They ran out of champange around Greenland. Never fully recovered from that.

[:0][:0] OMG and I thought my flight was bad!

Neither related to the quality of the flying itself, but choose from:

a) the flight from Charlotte to Gatwick where someone sat in the middle of the aircraft declared loudly that 'one wing is lower than the other' just as we were about to roll causing some degree of panic amongst those seated around and about. Had to return to the terminal off load spooked passengers and luggage (not spooked as far as I know)

b) the flight to SFO on February where the chap in front of me got on in what seemed to be an a slightly altered state, sat down and promptly fell asleep wrapped in fleece, cap etc. Woke up some hours later, declared himself unable to see and started to stagger around the cabin wreaking havoc. He was dealt with very efficiently, rehydrated and later acted as if nothing untoward had happened.

Paul

[mitchja]

My worst flight would have to be the VS062 coming back from NAS in 2005.

About 25 mins after take-off we also hit what I think was CAT and dropped like a stone. The seat belt sign had just gone on again as it was getting bumpy after it had not long been turned off after take off (my belt was alrady fastened) but anything that wasn't fastened down or anybody who wasn't belted up hit the cabin ceiling. I was in J and all the bottles/glasses and everything else from the small bar on the LGW/MAN 744's ended up all over the J cabin including in a couple of pax laps who where sat close to the bar.

Apparently Y was mayhem as some pax weren't belted up some of the oxygen masks had dropped and these pax had hit their heads on these panels as well as the over-head lockers. A few pax needed first aid and it was touch and go if we should either turn back to NAS, divert to MIA or carry on. We carried on back to LGW where a couple of ambulances where waiting for the injured pax on arrival. The flight even made the local news.

The cabin and flight deck crew did a fantastic job and where all totally professional [y]. The first officer even came down from the flight deck and spoke to every pax in turn explaining what had happened. If it had happended 10 mins later it would have been a lot worse as the crew would have been out with their carts.

Hasn't put me off flying at all, but even though I have always done this, when that selt belt sign comes on - do it. They are there for a reason.

Regards

In 2004 I flew Air Atlanta to SFB - after waiting an hour at LGW due to the fuel tanks being overfilled we had an uneventful flight on a 747-300. The pilot told us that the co-pilot would be flying today. Anyway, when we 'landed' at SFB it was such a wallop that passengers were screaming and the oxygen masks fell from the ceiling! I said that the co-pilot needed more practice!

Flying home and after it being a lovely day we sat and sat while back clouds gathered. Eventually we took off 4 hours late into a serious thunderstorm. We used a spare 747 with no IFE and only a single class, my friend had a seat that wouldn't stay upright and the overhead lights in front were crosswired with it being impossible to turn one off - the safety card sufficed as a lampshade.

Saying that, we all arrived safe and well both ways, and damn they were cheap! Oh and in between we were under military curfew for 3 days while a category 5 hurricane blew threw Orlando!

[Darren Wheeler]

Originally posted by Wolves27
Are you still in counselling?

The shock and trauma will stay with me. In fact I'm looking to move to BA as they might carry a larger supply.

Still, no worrys about exit row seats [:w][:w]

AirTransat, YYZ to LGW with a refuelling stop at YQX in 1997. Horrid, Horrid!

Had a fair few scary flights in my time a couple stand out:

1. Air Atlanta over to SFB in about 2001. Aircraft was very old. Crew's english was poor and a liferaft above a door had a habbit of popping open and trying to inflate!


2. Take off from Queenstown on a tiny Origin Pacific 10 seater to Christchurch. Staright after take off as we were climbing we hit some CAT and almost ended up on the main road into Queenstown, crew member was heard to be swearing and I was so close I could see the look of horror on the drivers face!

3. Delta ATL-LGW in January. Captain on to say would be rough air between ATL and JFK but then would clear it. We never did- crew were kept in seats for 4 hours!!! Finally started serving dinner and we hit the worst of it. Crew member hit the celling- people started screaming and plane was being tossed around all over the place. Captain on to say would have to ride it out as different Flight levels just as bad. It was so rough that you could hear the wind buffering the a/c at 38,000 feet. Not nice at all. We were finally released from seats after 5 and half hours and dinner was served an hour before breakfast!!! On leaving I had a word to the captain who informed me it was the worst he had experienced in 28 years of flying across the pond and there were seriously considering diverting.

[mitchja]

I've also remember being on a charter flight many years ago (Britannia, I think) and as we landed (cant remember where), several large chunks of the cabin ceiling fixtures decided to fall off (luckily it all landed in the aisle and missed the pax). We had to wait for it to be cleared before anyone could get off [:0]

Regards

Thomas Cook coming back from Las Palmas to Manchester about 4 years ago. Hit the worst turbulence ever and the plane was simply shaking everywhere violently for 5 minutes.

Up and down, side to side, everything but a nosedive and a roll over.

.....Flybe. Lets just leave it at that.

My most scary was a couple of years ago with United from Chicago to Omaha, we hit the worst clear air turbulance I have ever experienced it was during a trolley drink service, the 2 cabin crew first crouched down and then laid on the floor holding the trolley for dear life....... and I quite simply thought I was going to meet my maker ! ..... mind you I have had a few bumpy VS flights too, where food and wine has been scattered across the UC cabin.

Cheers
Mark [:D]

A BA flight SFO-LHR some years ago

Somewhere just after Greenland a pax went beserk.
Attacking other pax.
Two CC injured.
We finally got him into a straight-jacket and tied to floor (I didn't know that they carried such devices - they are NOT easy to apply!)
Pilot came back and decided he was under control, no serious injuries, so he would not divert.

Pax proceeded to scream for the rest of the flight.

At least we got priority landing - it was the fastest approach to LHR that I've ever experienced.
When we got down, armed police swarmed on.

It was quite a delay while they sorted things out and the subsequent interviews.

Scary when a passenger like that goes for the doors in-flight even if you do know he can't actually open them.

Well Cheers, Fellas,

you've just managed to scare s**t out of me once again, read a book recently for scared passengers written by an ex BA pilot, you have all just wiped out all good work he'd done, thanks!

Serves me right for cyber slacking at work I suppose

Lynne

But everyone in the above stories survived!

Originally posted by billybob
Well Cheers, Fellas,

you've just managed to scare s**t out of me once again, read a book recently for scared passengers written by an ex BA pilot, you have all just wiped out all good work he'd done, thanks!

Serves me right for cyber slacking at work I suppose

Lynne

[Darren Wheeler]

Although it was touch and go with the champers emergency.

I think one of the best ways to overcome fear in a flight is to look for someone who is more afraid than you!
Just looking around at others helps - some disturbed, some relatively relaxed - and you can often pick out the ones who know just what the risk is.
The CC and others fly regularly - and you can see that they are more concerned with the pax and what they might do rather than the aircraft. Sometimes you get a scare (as in my case with a passenger) but how often do you get a scare in other situations - in cars, on the street .....and its usually people involved here too.

OK I have flown frequently - and not just as a pax - but there are many times when it feels much safer to be up in the air rather than on the ground.

Perhaps to get a true comparison we should have another thread - Worst moment ever!
I suspect that very few, if any, would list an incident in flight. (except when they run out of champers!)