'Heard A Muffled Boom…': Japan Airlines Flight Plunges 26,000 Feet, Passengers Recount Mid-Air Horror
A Japan Airlines flight from Shanghai to Tokyo was forced into an emergency landing after a sudden drop of 26,000 feet, leaving passengers terrified and fearing for their lives.
Passengers aboard a Japan Airlines flight from Shanghai to Tokyo were left traumatised after the aircraft suffered a sudden mid-air mechanical issue. This forced a rapid descent of nearly 26,000 feet and triggered the emergency release of oxygen masks.
According to the South China Morning Post, the Boeing 737, which was operating under a code-share agreement between Japan Airlines and its budget subsidiary Spring Japan, made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport in Osaka on Monday. The incident occurred while the flight was cruising at around 36,000 feet before it descended sharply to just under 10,500 feet in under 10 minutes.
There were 191 passengers and crew on board at the time, reported the Associated Press. As cabin pressure dropped abruptly, oxygen masks deployed automatically, leaving many passengers fearing the worst.
“I heard a muffled boom, and the oxygen mask fell off in a few seconds. The stewardess cried and shouted to put on the oxygen mask, saying the plane had a malfunction,” one passenger was reported as saying.
Another passenger described waking up to panic in the cabin. “Suddenly, all the oxygen masks popped open while I was sleeping,” the person said.
The descent caused widespread panic among those onboard, with many turning to social media to share their harrowing experience. One user, quoted by South China Morning Post, wrote, “My body is still here, but my soul hasn’t caught up. My legs are still shaking. When you face life or death, everything else feels trivial.”
A fellow passenger described the fall as sudden and terrifying. “The plane started plummeting violently at around 7 p.m. and dropped to 3,000 metres in just 20 minutes.”
After the aircraft safely landed at Kansai Airport, passengers claimed they were made to wait over an hour on the tarmac before disembarking. Spring Japan reportedly agreed to compensate each passenger with 15,000 yen (around Rs 8,900), but only if individuals contacted the airline directly, reported South China Morning Post.
This frightening event comes amid heightened scrutiny over aviation safety. According to a report by NDTV, an incident involving an Air India flight from Delhi to Vienna on June 14 saw the aircraft drop 900 feet mid-air. The Boeing 777 landed safely after over nine hours in the air, and both pilots have since been taken off duty pending an investigation, the airline confirmed.
This incident occurred just two days after the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, killing all but one person on board.
