A passenger aboard an American Airlines plane that dropped more than 18,000 feet over the weekend is describing his and other passengers’ harrowing experience.
Harrison Hove, a University of Florida professor, recounted the Thursday ordeal both online and in a video interview, recalling how the aircraft descended in a matter of seconds after travelers heard a ‘loud bang’ and a strange smell filled its cabin.
He described the experience as ‘terrifying’, and shared a series of startling photos he said failed to capture the intense burning odor, loud noise, and ear-popping sensation that passengers were subjected to during the incident.
Data from FlightAware, the US’s top flight tracker, shows how the Florida-bound twin jet Embraer ERJ-145 dropped 18,600 feet within 43 minutes of takeoff, doing so in a matter of just six minutes.
Hove and 49 others forced to don oxygen masks during the ordeal were later told the descent was caused by a ‘possible pressurization issue’, after the plane fell another 1,400 feet in five minutes before stabilizing. Thankfully, no one was injured.
‘We started to descend really fast, and once we were breathing, you started to smell this burning smell, so that’s when I got really nervous,’ Hove, speaking to WBTV News in Charlotte, recalled of the flight’s saga after taking off from Charlotte Intl.
‘The initial moments were really scary, really freaky,’ the professor, who had been heading back to his home in Gainesville, continued. ‘
‘Because your mind wanders and you have a void of information.’
The instructor added on social media: ‘I’ve flown a lot. This was scary.’
The statement, shared less than an hour after Hove and others touched down in Florida, was accompanied with photos that showed how officials were forced to deploy oxygen masks to compensate for the change in pressure seen during the descent.
Hove disclaimed the snaps failed to ‘capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops’ passengers were forced to undergo.
Images show masks dangling from above, and Hove – along with multiple others- seen frantically relying on them for breathing during the roughly 11-minute ordeal.
At the time, Hove – after remaining in the dark as to what caused the scare – wrote that he and others were told after disembarking that ‘something failed midflight and depressurized the cabin.’
Offering the update in real time on X, he added of the odor he and others were met with moments before, ‘[It] can apparently be attributed to using the oxygen canisters.’
‘The wing flaps came out to immediately lower our altitude so there would be more oxygen,’ he added of how pilots actually intentionally descended to deal with the technical issue.
‘It was terrifying but turned out ok.’
Less than an hour after the plane evened out, Hove and other passengers disembarked at Gainesville Regional, set just 10 minutes from his school where classes just recently resumed for the fall.
As outlets like Fox News picked up the story, American Airlines issued a statement formally explaining the reason for the unforeseen turbulence, confirming the sudden drop in altitude was due to a pressurization issue.
“American Eagle flight 5916, operated by Piedmont Airlines, from Charlotte (CLT) to Gainesville, Florida (GNV) landed safely in GNV on Thursday,’ the update, aired to Fox Business Saturday, said.
‘While inflight, the crew received an indication of a possible pressurization issue and immediately and safely descended to a lower altitude.
‘We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience and thank our team for their professionalism.’
Despite the scare, Hove hailed the flight’s pilots and three-person crew for their handling of the situation.
‘Kudos to our amazing flight crew-cabin staff and pilots on American Air 5916,’ he wrote in his now viral X update.
The incident comes as turbulence-related mishaps have surfaced as the latest flashpoint for anger against the already embattled airline industry, which has faced backlash over months of cancellations and reports of poor service.
Last month, an American Airlines passenger has revealed that she and other travelers were forced to vacate a plane set to take off because the pilots had reached a cap on their flying time – all after enduring a five hour delay.
During their lengthy layover – which Gray said lasted five hours – the family was reportedly told by a gate agent that ‘ the plane was in a hanger being repaired,’ hence the delay.
The announcement sent the hordes of passengers into a frenzy, as they struggled to find alternative routes to their respective destinations.
Gray said she and her husband and two daughters arrived at Charlotte Saturday morning after returning from their European vacation.
Upon arriving at the airport, the family found themselves stranded for hours after a series of delays. The shortage, experts familiar with the industry say, first surfaced after the companies reduced staffing early in the pandemic, and have since struggled to bounce back.
Multiple travelers have taken to Twitter to complain about recent experiences with the airlines – airing grievances ranging for broken or lost luggage, unannounced cancellations, and all-around bad service.
On Sunday morning, a 1,297 flights into or out of the US were reported as either canceled or delayed by FlightAware.com, with 479 of them cancellations
As of 10:15am American – the largest airline in the country – accounted for 228 of those disruptions.
Travel rates, meanwhile, have returned to pre-pandemic paces.