Pilot of AirAsia Flight Asks Passengers to Pray As Plane Violently Shakes for Two Hours
The pilot helming an AirAsia Airbus 330 over the weekend asked his passengers to say a little prayer twice as the plane violently shook due to mechanical issues. As a result of the severe turbulence, the flight, which was supposed to be headed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, turned around and returned to its starting point in Perth, Australia.
According to reports, the scare started about an hour into the flight when a loud bang inside the plane caused panic among the passengers, after which the plane started to tremble like crazy. One of the passengers onboard, Damien Stevens, recalled that they were asleep when they suddenly heard a bang an hour and 15 minutes after the plane took off. Following the bang, the plane had to travel for the next two hours back to Perth violently shaking.
The turbulence was reportedly so intense that the pilot of the airbus made an announcement and asked the passengers to pray. He also asked them to gear up for the possible strong impact of their landing at the airport in Perth. He also asked the passengers to listen to him and cooperate, telling them that their survival depends on their cooperation.
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In an Instagram video shared by one of the passengers after the incident, Brenton Atkinson offered to look at their bumpy ride and compared the experience to "sitting on top of a washing machine." "I thought I might die. It was literally like you were sitting on top of a washing machine. The whole thing was going," he said.
Fortunately, the plane was able to land safely and smoothly at Perth Airport without anyone getting hurt. After the passengers disembarked from the airbus, AirAsia transferred them to a new flight that left the city Sunday night.
After the incident, it was found that the strong vibration that caused panic throughout the flight resulted from the mechanical issues with the Rolls-Royce engines of the plane. AirAsia said in a statement that it would work with their relevant partners to better understand the the cause of the technical issue.
