An individual on board a Ryanair flight that had to turn back to the United Kingdom due to an in-flight emergency described the incident as resembling a scene from a horror film.
The Boeing 737 MAX, which took off from Birmingham Airport around 2:50 pm on December 28, activated a 7700 squawk over Brittany, France, after climbing to 35,000 feet, indicating a general emergency.
The aircraft was en route to Tenerife but had to return to the UK during the journey.
Expressing her experience, a passenger from Lichfield, aged 33, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated, “It felt like something you see on a horror movie.” She described a sudden and intense jerking motion of the plane, followed by a feeling of loss of control, a rapid descent, and passengers being thrown out of their seats.
Passengers informed The Aviation Herald that flight FR1121 encountered turbulence while cabin service was in progress, leading to injuries among several individuals. The aircraft then made a U-turn and descended to 10,000 feet.
The plane landed safely back at Birmingham approximately one hour and 32 minutes after take-off. According to AirLive, the aircraft was positioned on a remote stand at the airport for medical attention to be provided to passengers. The extent of the injuries sustained by passengers is yet to be determined.
Despite being physically unharmed, the woman remarked on the mental distress caused by the incident, stating, “This has really traumatised me.” She mentioned that the cabin crew, with a decade of experience, had never encountered such a situation.
Some passengers claimed to have seen a fighter jet pass the Boeing before the turbulence, although this remains unconfirmed.
Ryanair released a statement indicating that the flight from Birmingham to Tenerife on December 28 had to return to Birmingham shortly after take-off due to air turbulence. The passengers were able to disembark and return to the terminal, with a few individuals receiving medical assistance. The flight resumed its journey to Tenerife at 9:06 pm local time.
The airline has been contacted by The Mirror for additional comments.
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