Posted on 06/07/2018 10:44:27 AM PDT by BBell
A passenger jet plunged through the air like a rollercoaster after it flew into a thunderstorm, dropping thousands of feet as it was bombarded with strong winds, hail and lightning.
Things were flying. Passengers throwing up. Scariest flight of my life, said Jesse Esparza, who was aboard the American Airlines flight from San Antonio, New Mexico to Phoenix, Arizona.
With its nose and windscreen badly damaged by hail, the plane was forced to divert to El Paso for an emergency landing.
I never thought Id have to buy in-flight WiFi to message my mum goodbye, Mr Esparza added.
Pictures of the plane on the runway showed its nose caved in and its windows covered by a web of cracks after it was battered by hailstones of up to three inches in size.
I keep looking back at the photos and getting chills, said another passenger, who did not want to be named. We had no idea how bad it was until after we landed.
She told ABC15 several passengers had panic attacks after the aircraft hit severe turbulence about 30 minutes after taking off.
Mobile phones flew through the air, drinks splashing the ceiling, and passengers sharing sick bags during five minutes of hell, she added.
Mr Esparza said the plane then dropped like a rollercoaster.
He added: We dropped so hard that objects in peoples laps start flying inside the aircraft. My seatbelt is pulling against my waist keeping me in my seat. Babies screaming. I start hyperventilating. I grab my phone and sign on to the WiFi. I text my mom that I love her
(Excerpt) Read more at newsannapurna.com ...
Did the co-pilot have to hang his head out the side window and give directions to the pilot.
Co-pilot:right Larry right! Your other right Larry!
What’s our vector victor?
It’s over Over.
Are there no editors anymore
San Antonio Texas to Phoenix
Not San Antonio New Mexico
Most airline pilots endeavor to fly around thunderheads. This is what happens when one doesn’t bother and guts it out straight through. Idiot.
Just d-mn
I didn’t think San Antonio, NM had an airport that was served by major airlines.
“That doesn’t look like much on the radar.”
(how about now?)
Yeah, the pilot was Ace Ventura.
Now it doesn’t look like we have much of a radar.
Holy cow! It looks like it took a burst of 88-flak ...
I picked a bad day to quit drinking . . .
I've been through thunderheads on airliners. In '12, I flew through one just west of Pittsburgh as we approached the airport. When I finally got settled in at my motel in Greensburg, Pa., the storm that we flew through finally caught up with me.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/airlines/a21095482/american-airlines-1897-hail-storm-flight-path/
This time of year some altocumulous also build higher than 50K ft in that region too. That's higher than most commercial airliners are rated to fly.
From here on in, grocery store turkeys used to test the strength of airliner windshields WILL be frozen.
Re: “plane plunged like a rollercoaster
This may have been intentional to get down below 10,000 ft. so that the passengers could breath (which is pretty important.)
Re: “plane plunged like a rollercoaster
This may have been intentional to down below 10,000 ft. so that the passengers could breath (which is pretty important.)
Everything happening at 500+ mph
Bad enough for a person on the ground to avoid while running for shelter.
That’ll buff right out.
When did Air Traffic Controllers begin routing aircraft through thunderstorms instead of around them?
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