US plane drops 15,000 feet in 3 minutes, passenger calls it 'terrifying'
A Florida-bound American Airlines flight dropped over 15,000 feet in three minutes due to a "pressurisation issue". A passenger on the plane called the incident "terrifying" and "scary".
An American Airlines aircraft flies past the US Capitol before landing at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, January 24, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 14, 2023 16:20 IST
A Florida-bound American Airlines flight dropped over 15,000 feet in three minutes. The plane took off from Charlotte, North Carolina and was going to Gainesville, Florida when the flight crew reported a "pressurisation issue".
The plane, American Airlines flight 5916, took off from Charlotte on August 10, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News.
A passenger, Harrison Hove, shared a picture of himself on X (formerly Twitter) wearing an oxygen mask and called the incident "terrifying" and "scary".
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"I've flown a lot. This was scary. Kudos to our amazing flight crew-cabin staff and pilots on American Air 5916. The photos cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops," said Hove, a University of Florida Professor.
"Something failed midflight and depressurised the cabin," Hove wrote on X.
Despite the incident, the flight landed at Gainesville Regional Airport in Florida just before 5 pm (local time).
In a statement, an American Airlines spokesperson told Fox Business that the sudden drop in altitude was due to a pressurisation issue.
"American Eagle flight 5916, operated by Piedmont Airlines, from Charlotte to Gainesville, Florida landed safely on Thursday, August 10. While inflight, the crew received an indication of a possible pressurization issue and immediately and safely descended to a lower altitude. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience and thank our team for their professionalism," the spokesperson said.