Passengers say they were smashed into the floor and ceiling of a plane during ‘nightmare’ turbulence as it came in for a landing last month.
Airline service provider Jetstar says it will take the case to air safety investigators after more than 500 passengers, including two children, reported the incident.
“We were flying smoothly until about four or five minutes before landing,” said passenger Jodie Hall. “We were very calm and confident when it got to the point that someone said ‘we’re about to land’.
“It was a scary moment. It’s like a nightmare, where you’re just thinking if I’m going to die when I get home.”
It’s believed that the plane could have been travelling at an altitude of just over 1,500 metres (5,500 feet).
‘She was crying’
As the plane stopped at the landing strip, Ms Hall said she saw passengers screaming and jumping out to run for cover.
She said passengers started making emergency calls to the pilot, who had reportedly forgotten to open the cabin door before landing.
“The first two emergency calls were ‘we’ve run out of oxygen’ and ‘we’ve run out of food’,” Mr Hall said. “That’s when it got really scary. We were all kind of just shocked.”
A Jetstar captain, who has not spoken publicly, was brought in to calm the passengers and the plane.
The captain was told the aircraft could not be taxied or moved because of “foul weather”. It was then decided to take control of the plane.
The plane then began to climb, and passengers reported the captain had turned off some of the cabin lights.
Ms Hall said, “that’s when it got a lot scarier”.
“The captain then opened the exit door, and we saw an explosion of lights,” she said.
“I thought, somebody needs to get off this plane