As scary as Runway 34: Passengers on SpiceJet horror flight recount narrow escape
India Today
Real life imitated reel life as SpiceJet's flight SG-945 ran into massive turbulence on Sunday. As many as 40 passengers were injured as they were jostled and cabin luggage fell on them. Here’s what they had to say about their ordeal.
Ajay Devgn’s movie Runway 34 tells the story of a flight caught in extreme bad weather, with passengers hanging on for their dear lives as one capable pilot attempts to land the plane safely. Something similar happened to SpiceJet's flight SG-945 on Sunday evening when it was buffeted by turbulence while descending.
There is no confirmation yet whether the Air Traffic Controller or the pilot flying the aircraft were informed or aware of the approaching storm, locally known as kalbaisakhi. But unwary passengers had the scare of their lives and many did not emerge unscathed from the terrifying flight experience.
Speaking to India Today, one passenger who sustained a head injury during the rough landing said they complied with the flight crew’s instructions and tightly strapped themselves in. However, their seat belts tore on impact and they were jostled very hard in their seats. See the video:
Flyers were tossed about like ragdolls and a few even fell out of their seats, a passenger named Mohammad Iqbal recounted. While lauding the pilot’s efforts to steer the plane, he said there was only so much that a human could do against the force of nature.
“It felt like the flight was tilting this way and that. Some people toppled backwards off their seats. Luggage came falling out of the overhead bins, struck people on the head,” he added. Watch:
Another passenger who was hospitalised after the ordeal said the flight was going “up and down” due to the massive turbulence. “I thought the plane would flip over,” he said. Watch the video:
At least 40 passengers were injured after cabin luggage fell on flyers mid-air as Spicejet’s Mumbai-Durgapur flight got caught up in a storm. The SpiceJet plane was attempting a landing at Kazi Nazrul Islam airport in West Bengal's Durgapur.
