Your Scariest Flying Experience
- Thread starter Acylum
- Start date
Flying back from Charleston and we had been descending for a while. All of a sudden we did a big whoop de doo (best way I could describe it lol) where the plane dipped hard and then swung left and then right really quick. Then we began ascending again, which made me think there was a problem. After a couple minutes, the pilot came on and said that we flew into another jet's wash.
Had a last sec aborted landing in Augusta, GA. Pilot said nothing until like 10 mins after. Legit we were on the ground and aborted.
Had 3 aborted landings in a row at MSP during a huge wind storm. Finally landed the 4th time.
Had 3 aborted landings in a row at MSP during a huge wind storm. Finally landed the 4th time.
Upside down many times.
Coming into Des Moines on final,100 feet off the ground. We tip to the right,
the pilot hit full power and up we go. I said we are going around and try again. The person sitting next to me thought I was crazy. The pilot then made a comment that we were going to land to far up the runway so we are going around and try again. As a pilot myself, I was hoping that was what he was doing.
Coming into Des Moines on final,100 feet off the ground. We tip to the right,
the pilot hit full power and up we go. I said we are going around and try again. The person sitting next to me thought I was crazy. The pilot then made a comment that we were going to land to far up the runway so we are going around and try again. As a pilot myself, I was hoping that was what he was doing.
I was not along, but my dad landed his Cessna 170 in a corn field when the engine quit.
Dated a gal whose parents had died several years prior at LAX on the USAir flight that landed on top of a smaller jet trying to take-off - air traffic controller took most of the blame for that one. Horrifying tale: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_runway_disaster
I usually take about three round trip flights per year. I don't actually feel like I fly all that often. Just been doing it for the last 15 years.
About every time I land I'm convinced the plane is about to burst into a ball of flames or at the very least break in half.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
There have been many studies about what’s called “wake turbulence” (the wingtip vortices from a heavier aircraft causing problems with lift/attitude with aircraft behind them), but it still seems more like a dark art than a science.
Controllers have a variety of rules they must follow to try to avoid wake turbulence, from extra mileage spacing behind larger/heavier aircraft (especially on the landing approach path) to a mandated number of minutes before a smaller aircraft can take off behind a heavier aircraft. If those rules avoided all wake turbulence encounters, things like what have been described here would never happen.
Yet they do, obviously. The mandated separation rules aren’t always enough to prevent all the rolling/dropping encounters.
I can’t recall the exact percentages but a great majority of fatal accidents take place on a takeoffs or landings.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
Ooh, that happened just before I got hired by the FAA. There were a lot of rumors about the documented incompetence of that controller, and how somehow they ended up still employed after that …
For me, it's the plane starts barrel rolling down the runway.
I’ve watched videos where accidents have been blamed on this and when you take the time gap into consideration it’s incredible.
Unrelated but I could spend all day watching spray planes. I swear I watched one last week flying under power lines.
I fly 50-100 flights per year for work and have several that stick out:
1. Sitting at the gate and they fire up the engines. We hear a very loud bang and the plane starts to fill with smoke. Pilot comes on and says “evacuate immediately”. Turns out someone on the ground didn’t disconnect the A/C hose and the engine sucked it up and caused it to essentially blow up. I’m sure someone got fired.
2. Descending into Des Moines 2 years ago and we are ~10 mins from landing and the pilot comes on and says we are diverting to Chicago because the flaps aren’t working and Des Moines’ runway wasn’t long enough in the winter weather. Divert to Chicago and make an emergency landing with full flaps. Emergency vehicles lined the runway while we landed. Not a fun one.
3. Earlier this year, had the worst turbulence I’ve ever experienced. So bad one of the overhead bins opened and a bag fell and smashed someone in the head. Person was injured but flight attendants couldn’t get out of their jump seats to help. The plane dropped so quickly that several people’s phones flew out of their hands and hit the ceiling of the plane. Scariest flight I’ve ever done.
Lots and lots of airport screwups (got off a plane once to security saying “I wasn’t supposed to be on that flight” even though I had a boarding pass…apparently a boarding pass is not the same as a ticket). Crazy maintenance issues, crazy weather delays, etc. You get numb to it all after awhile.
1. Sitting at the gate and they fire up the engines. We hear a very loud bang and the plane starts to fill with smoke. Pilot comes on and says “evacuate immediately”. Turns out someone on the ground didn’t disconnect the A/C hose and the engine sucked it up and caused it to essentially blow up. I’m sure someone got fired.
2. Descending into Des Moines 2 years ago and we are ~10 mins from landing and the pilot comes on and says we are diverting to Chicago because the flaps aren’t working and Des Moines’ runway wasn’t long enough in the winter weather. Divert to Chicago and make an emergency landing with full flaps. Emergency vehicles lined the runway while we landed. Not a fun one.
3. Earlier this year, had the worst turbulence I’ve ever experienced. So bad one of the overhead bins opened and a bag fell and smashed someone in the head. Person was injured but flight attendants couldn’t get out of their jump seats to help. The plane dropped so quickly that several people’s phones flew out of their hands and hit the ceiling of the plane. Scariest flight I’ve ever done.
Lots and lots of airport screwups (got off a plane once to security saying “I wasn’t supposed to be on that flight” even though I had a boarding pass…apparently a boarding pass is not the same as a ticket). Crazy maintenance issues, crazy weather delays, etc. You get numb to it all after awhile.
Speaking of.....Air Disasters is on right now on the Smithsonian Channel. Love that show.
Flew out of Omaha to Houston and we immediately start to loiter around Omaha so knew something was up. After a while, pilot said there was an error warning with the landing gear. Basically could not tell if it was up or down so probably wasn't sure how well it was working. This was when Continental was an airline and they had a regional maint shop in KC so flew there. As we start to land there are lots of emergency vehicles along the runway and positioned to make a quick engagement. Flight attendants went through emergency landing process and got the "Brace! Brace! Brace!" message over the speakers as we landed.
Obviously, everything was ok but got a nice voucher and had a very stiff drink at one of the bars at the KC airport and then a few (free) drinks on the flight to Houston.
Flew out of Omaha to Houston and we immediately start to loiter around Omaha so knew something was up. After a while, pilot said there was an error warning with the landing gear. Basically could not tell if it was up or down so probably wasn't sure how well it was working. This was when Continental was an airline and they had a regional maint shop in KC so flew there. As we start to land there are lots of emergency vehicles along the runway and positioned to make a quick engagement. Flight attendants went through emergency landing process and got the "Brace! Brace! Brace!" message over the speakers as we landed.
Obviously, everything was ok but got a nice voucher and had a very stiff drink at one of the bars at the KC airport and then a few (free) drinks on the flight to Houston.
