Have you ever been on a plane you thought was about to crash?

[teedubya]

I was in Chicago for a speaking event at the University of Chicago's School of Business yesterday... and my flight kept getting delayed from 5pm to 7:30pm... to finally 10:15pm. And the flight from Chicago to KC felt like it was going to crash.

That was the most intense, turbulent flight, out of easily over 100 flights that, I've ever experienced... I was lifted up off my seat several times and it shook open overhead bins. The pilot fought to keep the wings balanced through approximately 45 minutes of thinking this may be my last day on Earth.

I'm still nauseous, although grateful to be alive and on the ground... count your blessings today and hug your loved ones. You never know when it's your time to leave this rock. ♥

Now tomorrow morning, I fly to New Orleans. UGH. Don't feel like flying right now, actually. I need more than a day to get my balls to descend.

Has anything similar happened to you?

[loochy]

Originally Posted by Griswald

I flew from Key west to Miami in a propeller job back in 1996. only flying at 9,000 ft. the weather in key west was sunny and 82 degrees, in Miami it was raining and 65 degrees. we flew right through this purple cloud and all hell broke loose. the soda flew out of my cup and stuck to the ceiling, my ass was off the seat by like 3 inches for about 7 or 8 seconds (seat belt was tightened after that) and the drink cart almost started flying around the cabin. I bent the arm rest and thought I bought the farm. even the flight attendant was scared. needless to say I kissed the ground in Miami.

Never again with propellers

wtf?

ghost of jimi?

[DMAC]

Turbulence has never bothered me.

The only thing that ever scared me was landing in LV and when the pilot was turning around to hit the runway, he banked too far and the engines went quiet and we dropped for a second. Heard them kick back on and everything was fine.

I'm assuming we stalled. That split second I thought we were going down.

[Ecto-I]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Yeah, dude you know me. Mr. Gotta Look At This Rationally. I'm scared to death of flying but the statistics just aren't there.

You have a better chance of getting mauled to death by a rabid badger than dying in a plane crash.

When I used to go to college in San Luis Obsipo, I had to take one of those small commuter planes from LA to SLO. Those things were awful. Almost every flight had turbulence, and many were pretty scary. Then I start to think "well, I wonder if the FAA thinks 'gee, there's only 20 people on this flight so a crash wouldn't be a COMPLETE disaster'".

But yes, the bottom line is planes don't crash. As scary as it is to think that a bunch of people are bunched into this metal capsule just barreling through the sky at 20,000 ft, flying is probably the safest means of travel.

[Otter]

Worst flight was landing in Chicago during some wicked turbulance. The guy behind me threw up and was crying. I figured if we actually crash it was going to be quick but it was not fun.

That was a white knucle experience for all. Even the flight attendents couldn't put on a smiley face when we landed.

[seclark]

Originally Posted by loochy

I always kind of got a kick out of turbulence. I think it's kind of fun AND I enjoy seeing the freaked out people.

especially when they come walking out of the bathroom w/piss splattered all over their pants and a on their face.
sec

[jiveturkey]

I've had a couple of bad ones.

Last winter flying to Denver I'm pretty sure that we got hit by a missile over Salina. There was a loud bang followed by crazy turbulence.

I also flew back to KC behind a storm last spring and a wind gust turned our plane sideways right as we were about to land. They hit the gas and we went to Wichita for a couple of hours to wait it out. I was supposed to get home at 8pm but it was 3am when I finally got to my car. I'll take late every time.

[Discuss Thrower]

Yeah, the ones I were flying at the time.

[Stanley Nickels]

I'm such a goddamn pussy, especially considering how often I fly. My most frequent route-- between KC and Philly-- isn't really ever that bad, but I get so anxious and sweaty at the slightest turbulence.

I haven't ever been through overhead-bin-opening levels of turbulence, but I have done the ol' zero G anus pucker a number of times. The worst flights are between KC and Grand Cayman (well, between DFW and Grand Cayman); I've done that flight three times and never NOT had a panic attack.

The funniest flying-related mishap, ironically, is on one of the few flights that went remarkably smoothly. The wife and I were on our honeymoon this summer, flying from Paris-Orly into Florence. We're on the descent into Florence, about 100 feet above the runway, as smooth a landing as I can remember, and the captain jerks the plane directly upward, as though he were taking off. We circle Florence a few times (and I, of course, am terrified that the landing gear has failed), before the captain notifies us that "the winds are too strong, we must fly into Bologna". The WINDS ARE TOO STRONG? Everything was FINE! Get into Bologna, the charter buses they said would be there were an hour late-- we found fellow Americans and had planned to split the cost of shuttle service to Florence if the buses simply didn't show-- and ended up getting into Florence at 3 am.

[The Franchise]

Flying back into South Dakota with my family when I was about 13-14. We're in the process of descending to land during a snow storm......when a huge gust of wind pushes down the left wing. I was young....so it looked like the wing was about to slam into the ground (we weren't very far off of it). All I know is as we were leaving....the stewardess was crying and the pilot was white as a sheet.

[Rain Man]

I've never had anything that was close, though I've had a few instances where I've briefly had some questions about the process.

1. I was on a flight from Chicago to Charleston once when the pressurization system failed. We didn't get the oxygen masks, but my ears started popping quite a bit and the pilot turned us around and we went back to Chicago.

2. I was on a little plane in Nepal headed to some little place in Nepal. The plane nosed down and was obviously on a landing trajectory, but I could see out the front window and there wasn't a landing field anywhere. Eventually I realized that it was a grass field and all was fine. However, on the way out I discovered that the villagers would graze their sheep and goats or whatever on the field, and they would blow a whistle when a plane came in so the people could herd them off the runway. Yeesh.

3. I've had a few turbulence incidents and I really don't like turbulence, but I've had nothing as bad as other people describe.

When DaFace and I were on a trip to Louisville or Dayton or some place a few years back, I saw the biggest, nastiest thunderstorm that I've ever seen from a plane. Black, boiling clouds, lightning all over the place, it looked like a portal to hell. I was hoping we weren't flying into it, but the pilot navigated us around the side. The Midwest really gets the most spectacular thunderstorms imaginable.

[Johnny Vegas]

where I live is in a valley and landing in it is absolutely gut wrenching. I'm used to the terrible landings anymore that it doesn't bother me and more just a normal routine. Besides if you're in a plane and it goes down mid flight the lack of oxygen and the sudden drop would make you pass out before you hit the ground so you wouldn't even know if you're about to die.

[Rain Man]

Oh, speaking of valleys, has anyone else flown into Telluride? There should not be an airport in that place. You're flying between mountains and the edge of the runway is basically a cliff, and the winds between the mountains throw you around in the process. I don't think I'm flying into that town again unless there's a really compelling reason.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

When DaFace and I were on a trip to Louisville or Dayton or some place a few years back, I saw the biggest, nastiest thunderstorm that I've ever seen from a plane. Black, boiling clouds, lightning all over the place, it looked like a portal to hell. I was hoping we weren't flying into it, but the pilot navigated us around the side. The Midwest really gets the most spectacular thunderstorms imaginable.

Big thunderstorms look cool from a plane. They're about the only thing that go up higher than the plane does...

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Big thunderstorms look cool from a plane. They're about the only thing that go up higher than the plane does...

You can definitely get a good perspective on them. But I'd rather not see them. Those people who fly planes into hurricanes face no job competition from me.

[notorious]

Wimps.

I have had two engine failures in a single engine aircraft. One happened at 1 am southeast of Amarrilo and the other was around Lyons.

Threw a rod on the first and broken crankshaft on the second.