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Original poster

Have you ever been on a scary turbulent flight?

328 replies

AbsentmindedWoman · 14/05/2021 17:41

I'm curious what it was like? I've been on quite bumpy flights before, but the flight attendants always looked fine/ bored, so I wasn't worried and just kept watching whatever film. But I'm lucky as have no fear of flying in general, so perhaps easy for me to dismiss it.

Has anyone been on a really frightening flight where you were worried things might deteriorate? Did you get on a plane again after?

OP posts:
Timeisavirtue · 14/05/2021 22:31

On the way back from Portugal when I was 14, it was like a we were in a toy plane and being shaken by a kid. (Think honey I blew up the kid) I was loving it, ( I’m an adrenaline junkie) others were not so much 😃

HalfCakeHalfBiscuit · 14/05/2021 22:32

@randomkey123

We came back on a night flight from New York, and hit turbulence coming out over the Atlantic. For about 40 minutes, I honestly thought the plane was going to break apart - it was an old BA 747. I was so scared that I didn't sleep a wink, and when we got into Heathrow at dawn, the pilot aborted the landing..... almost vertically. It was horrific and people were screaming. Took ages for them to announce that there was another plane on the runway so had to get back up quickly..... Shock

I haven't flown since.

I've just posted mine and then seen this. Yes, bastard scary
LittleMissPeggySue · 14/05/2021 22:32

Coming back from Ibiza in 2010 with now exhb and at the time 2 yo DS. Night flight, about 2am, we hit turbulence. It probably wasn't even that serious but a woman in front of me started screaming and all I could think was that we were going to die just because I'd wanted a holiday in the sun.

The year after, we went to Cornwall. I've never been on a plane since but last year I promised my now 13yo DS that I'd take him to Ibiza again when it's safe in terms of Covid.

ddl1 · 14/05/2021 22:33

I haven't, but my mother was on a flight (before I was born) that had to make a forced landing due to fuel shortage. It wasn't clear at first what was the nature of the problem, and she really did think she was about to die. She did fly on a number of subsequent occasions, and coped with it, but it was never her favourite activity.

Lotusmonster · 14/05/2021 22:35

London to Cape Town ....hours of updrafts from the desert, felt never ending 😕

OohThatCat · 14/05/2021 22:37

Flying from Singapore to Australia we had really bad turbulence, must be winds or something as the skies were clear. But it was bad enough that the cabin crew got told to strap themselves in - one of them strapped herself in near us and looked quite concerned.....but I soon realised it's because she'd left a drinks trolley in part of the aisle, turbulence knocked over the coffee pot or tea pot or some kind of liquid pot and it went all over a (thankfully) empty seat

HeartshapedFox · 14/05/2021 22:41

The two of you on page 1 who talk about the flight to Ethiopia - it sounds like you were on the same flight! @CovidCorvid

Mamabear12 · 14/05/2021 22:41

Had bad turbulence on a long haul flight. I was traveling w my dd who was 3 at the time. She had not had a pee since a while before take off a s 3 hours in we still were not allowed out of our seats. No food or drinks service. She had to pee badly by then and enough was enough. We took our chances. Luckily everything was fine. I also have emetaphobia so was so scared about this. But luckily it wasn’t so bad or at least everyone around me were okay. Once they were allowed to start drinks services and meal, I had a big glass of wine 😀

jaundicedoutlook · 14/05/2021 22:43

Once on a flight from Tokyo to London. Not long after the first meal had been cleared away and over Siberia. Plane was jumping up and down, a few drinks flew about, but the really scary bit was that all the lights went out and the emergency lighting down the aisle came on. People were screaming and panicking, but fortunately it was over quickly and the lights came back on. Genuinely terrifying for about 2 minutes.

MrsS92 · 14/05/2021 22:44

Yes but I don’t remember it, I was about 6 flying home from New York, my dad still goes a bit pale when he talks about it.
He’s been a nervous flyer ever since.
He did an amazing job at the time, keeping calm as all I can remember is him pointing out how amazing the lighting looked as it was forking through the sky !
I hate flying but that’s because I’ve got a serious sick phobia, being in an enclosed space with so many people who could potentially vomit is horrible.

MrsMoastyToasty · 14/05/2021 22:50

On a new year's day early morning flight from Prague to Heathrow. Obviously a fair bit of drink had been imbibed the night before. It was so turbulent that the stewardesses ran out of sick bags and were fashioning them out of the newspapers that they had on board.

DonttouchthatLarry · 14/05/2021 22:52

I don't usually mind turbulence but flying into Lukla in the Himalayas (aka 'The World's Most Dangerous Airport') in a tiny Twin Otter was something else - terrible turbulence then all of a sudden the plane just dropped. I'd never been on a small plane before and it felt very flimsy, like the whole thing could shake apart at any moment. I was so glad when we landed (another 'experience', hurtling towards a solid wall of rock!) but the next 2 weeks were marred by the thought of flying out of there again, not helped by knowing there had been a crash during takeoff a few weeks before which killed 3 people.

loginfail · 14/05/2021 22:53

@MrsMoastyToasty

On a new year's day early morning flight from Prague to Heathrow. Obviously a fair bit of drink had been imbibed the night before. It was so turbulent that the stewardesses ran out of sick bags and were fashioning them out of the newspapers that they had on board.
...and I just know what somebody is going to ask any second now..
therocinante · 14/05/2021 22:53

Is it weird that this thread is making me miss flying? I love the feeling of being awake during a night flight and staring out at the world underneath so much!

I had one bad flight to/from (can't remember which) Cyprus. BIG sudden drop - I think it's something to do with air pockets? - and then we were inside a storm and it was very... bouncy. I kind of enjoyed it in a fatalistic 'fuck it, nothing I can do now' way but there were a lot of people screaming.

The only time I've been genuinely scared there wasn't any turbulence at all but I boarded the oldest-looking plane I've ever seen (I think it was Air China?) and it just seemed to creak and shudder constantly on the ascent. Didn't feel slick and safe, it felt like someone driving an old banger. I'm not a nervous flyer at all but I didn't sleep the entire 12 hour flight -just got drunk-.

itssquidstella · 14/05/2021 22:56

I don't like flying much. DH and I had an awful landing in Geneva a few years ago. It was insanely windy and the plane made a couple of aborted landing attempts where it came in really low and then had to gain height rapidly and circle back around to try again.

I was lying with my face buried in DH's lap, and then he was sick on my head.

CirqueDeMorgue · 14/05/2021 22:58

Ugh cold sweat just reading these, I'm terrified of flying even without turbulence.

DazedWifelet · 14/05/2021 22:59

Yep. Flying back from our honeymoon in Cape Town August 2000, plane had just crossed over the English Channel when it did a sudden massive descent. It wasn't turbulence. Cabin crew actually screamed! WTAF! 😱 It was a BA flight. I gripped DH's wrist in sheer terror - I don't do screaming. To this day, we don't know why that happened. EISH.

Mangofandangoo · 14/05/2021 23:00

During a flight to Glasgow the plane went into another planes air trail (or something like that) and we dropped so fast drinks hit the roof Confused

Cheermonger · 14/05/2021 23:00

I fly a bit and turbulence is common-like driving over cobbles. Also my local airport is Leeds and high up with a short runway so if conditions are poor it can feel a bit scary even normally.

Only time scared was when we were about 40 mins in and the pilot came on to say air traffic control in Leeds had reported debris on runway post take off and they were concerned that something had fallen off our plane. We had to circle for a hour to dump fuel before returning to base and as we landed I thought I was a gonner as no one knew what had fallen off. The crew were. V subdued. Anyway all was well, we deplaned and were on our way again later, all mildly terrified but alive lol

Howtomakeevery1 · 14/05/2021 23:01

Yes - Air China- major turbulence, trolleys fell over, stewards fell over, everyone terrified. 1/2 an hour later captain walked through apologising, apparently the FO fault as the captain was asleep. I was more scared as if the captain was apologising presumably the FO was back in control

Hairbrush123 · 14/05/2021 23:03

A few times:
I was flying over Cuba during hurricane season and there was bad turbulence. The plane actually dropped and a few people screamed (including mum!). It was very short though but was so awful.

I flew from Singapore to Bangkok and the takeoff was so rough. It was bumpy from start to finish. I was sat in business class so I felt like being in the lie-flat position made me so much more comfortable (well that’s what I think).

Last summer, I flew from London to Amsterdam and the plane slightly dropped during takeoff. I nearly shit myself and I wouldn’t consider myself a nervous flyer!

Krook · 14/05/2021 23:05

Twice, transatlantic, through electrical storms. Consequently a very nervous flyer!

CallipygousElephant · 14/05/2021 23:08

In a private 6 seater twin engine, travelling with a rather well to do family member for a horsey engagment at the south of England -
Turbulance was so bad going through the side of a small storm (I was a bit childish, 16 and didn't have my seatbelt partitcularly tight) that I left my seat, hit the roof above so hard during a quick drop due to loss in pressure that I concussed myself. Badly

Everything else has paled in comparison since then but it did give me a healthy fear of incliment weather during passenger flights.

That said, I have flown microlights, gliders and done about 30 hours in the same 6 seater - and the former and latter certainly nearly fly and land themselves (within reason - you obviously need a great deal of knowledge and experience to deal with non-standard conditions). Flying gliders is an experience, being towed up is fine - the only nerve racking part is pointing your nose down to prevent or correct a stall. But many clubs use a hydrolic winch to get you in the air - this involves the connecting chain/wire disconnecting when at a certain angle (determined by your height), but it is SO far from foolproof and very very often results in an early winch detatchment - which involves pointing your nose straight down and coming immediately in to land. If you come off the winch particularly low - it's genuinely terrifying!

itssquidstella · 14/05/2021 23:10

I’ve flown into Lukla and that was actually okay, but flying out past the wreckage of a plane that had crashed with three fatalities a couple of days previously was a bit nerve-wracking!

toodleloooo · 14/05/2021 23:10

My last flight before the pandemic in December 2019. We were coming back from Germany and there were terrible storms in the UK. Spent what felt like an eternity circling in turbulence above Heathrow, before descending like a pendulum, swinging from side to side, and eventually landing sideways. Like others have said it was absolute deathly silence on board. Got home and spent the rest of the night just trying not to throw up, before seeing it on the news. I jokingly said to DP that I would give flying a miss for a while...little did I know 😅