‘Horrifying’ flight diverted as some passengers vomit in 9-hour ordeal, travelers say

WHNT ^ | 03/05/2023 | Nick Sturdivant, Rodney Overton

[DFG]

A Southwest flight was diverted from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, leaving passengers stranded with no information or food in a closed Myrtle Beach airport overnight — along with a full plane of fellow travelers.

The 9-hour ordeal involving Southwest flight 3094 included three passengers vomiting as the plane shook “like crazy,” recounted one North Carolina couple on board. Another person, the couple said, had a panic attack and passed out on the plane amid its wild approach into Raleigh — which was aborted at the last second at 1,350 feet, according to flight data.

“It was quite a horrifying experience. We go to land in Raleigh and the plane starts shaking like crazy. Then they decide to tell us 15 minutes later we are going to Myrtle Beach,” said Nicholas Reed, who was traveling with his girlfriend Krys Spence.

[Round Earther]

“Another person, the couple said, had a panic attack and passed out.”

You got to toughen up or bum a Xanax from a flight attendant.

[chuck allen]

We aborted a landing into Orlando MCO last August, seems a small plane had ventured onto our runway. According to my seat monitor we were 700 feet off the ground when we zoomed back up to 4,000 ft and circled around and landed a second time. Freaked everyone out but no vomiting that I saw. This was a Delta flight.

[noiseman]

As a (non-current) sailplane pilot, who has also flown many other types of aircraft, I’ve never even gotten close to being motion sick while in flight. As a pilot, you’re usually too focused on all of the things you’re doing for it to affect you. Passengers are another story, though. I had several friends who I took up get pretty queasy just sitting there and watching the horizon spin round and round while circling in thermals. The only effect I ever had, momentarily, was when I was circling in a thermal with a number of other gliders both above and below me. The closest one above me was only a couple hundred feet or so above, so as I was circling in a relatively steep bank I was also glancing straight up from time to time to keep an eye on him. Turning steeply while looking straight up is a bad combination which I discovered when it made me a little dizzy/disoriented for a moment.

As for airline turbulence and screaming passengers, it always amuses me a little. If you really thought aviation was as dangerous as many of these people falsely believe, why would you ever get on airplane? Commercial aviation in the U.S. is incredibly safe. In fact, not only is it the safest form of transportation by far, it could be argued that it is actually one of the safest places, moving or stationary, that you can be, period. While you’re in that airline seat, you’re protected from many other ways that someone can die, from drowning, to car crashes, to falling off ladders, to being attacked by a violent thug (OK, maybe that one is becoming more common in flight, so bad example), etc.

[gunnut]

I would respect if they went behind the bar to get food, water or soft drinks but the fact they went for alcohol says more about them then it does about the airline, airport or situation.

[Celtic Conservative]

About 40 years ago I was on a British Airways flight departing Kennedy for Heathrow. We hit turbulence over the atlantic that was bouncing that ship around like a pinball. It was certainly unpleasant, but not life threatening in any way.

CC

[Fireone]

Hit the like button on that one!

[JaguarXKE]

Exactly. My son (who currently flys 737 for one of the cargo carriers, and coincidentally just got hired by Southwest) was flying for SkyWest a couple of years ago when they had to divert and make an emergency landing in OK City. They were scheduled from Omaha, NE to Austin, TX when they hit extreme turbulence in southern Kansas. There was a 20 year veteran American pilot on board as a passenger who said that it was the worst turbulence he'd ever experienced. I played back the flight later on FlightRadar24 and you can see some these pics where they declared an emergency and the second picture is a close up showing their emergency descent into Ok City. Closeup of emergency descent into Ok City.

[dfwgator]

I had the lasagna.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“aborted at the last second at 1,350 feet”

“Last second”? Oh please.

I had a “last second abort” experience landing in fog in Pisa in 1977. Smokestacks sticking up through the fog layer as we were on final. Descended below the fog at probably 209-300 feet and the runway was 100 meters starboard. Full throttles and went around for another try.

[pfflier]

We were flying ass and trash Kontum to Pleiku. Went weightless more than a few times. And oh yes, I tasted lunch more than once.

You the same guys that flew EC-130s out of NKP?

[teletech]

Don’t know what happened but have several guesses.

Possible Micro Burst.

Possible Wind Shear.

Deviation to the alternate was proper.

[RckyRaCoCo]

...never gets old. ; )

[Bookshelf]

They need to sit in the jump seat behind the pilot in a C-130 and watch as he lands the plane. Now that’s a thrill.

[Secret Agent Man]

Tomato burns coming back up...

[Kaiser8408a]

“They need to fly in a C-130 through a line of monsoon thunderstorms to see what can get really exciting.”

Amen brother! Nothing like a C-130 in a tropical storm to get your adrenaline pumping!

[JoJo354]

This country and the standards that use to be top notch has gone to hell. Period.

[Taxman]

“I don’t think you could pay me to get on an airplane these days.”

I do not fly unless I am the pilot!

[Taxman]

Eat bannanas before you fly: they taste the same coming up as they do going down!

[John S Mosby]

Agree- but these are civilians probably on a civilian airliner that cannot guarantee smooth flight. Oh well- agree with you, reminds me of this scene from way back...a young Alec Baldwin

Turbulence..helicopter USNAVY fun chunky puke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5WfxwnLlLU

[Night Hides Not]

Brought back memories of the mission over Macho Grande.