What's the scariest flight you've ever been on?

Aphex

I really enjoy reading about scary flight experiences for some weird reason (as long as it's a good outcome).
As a nervous flyer, I have been blessed that all of my flights so far have been non eventful, and hopefully it stays that way
So, have any of you aviation enthusiasts, pilots or random posters got any good stories to share?

Boskowski

Some January morning 6am, takeoff to Frankfurt from Dublin. High winds was in my opinion an understatement. The thing rattled and shook standing at the gate. Down the runway she was veering left and right and once we were airborne the whole plane shrieked and creaked for the next 25 minutes. Probably pretty standard stuff for the crew but I didn't hear single word being spoken on the plane for that length of time. Including myself.

Thank god that's my scariest experience which was probably not so scary after all.

Probably far more dangerous was me going to a meeting with my boss who was an amateur pilot with a visual license who took the meeting as an opportunity to register some hours. So we took off on a grass strip (Bienenfarm) and went to Braunschweig in a single engine Cessna 172 with low clouds and rain. We had to stay under the clouds of course (visual) and the whole flight felt like sitting in a Fiat 500, hearing the rain, shaking around, windscreen wipers and whatnot. When we arrived in Braunschweig we found out no comms were working so we had to do the flyover thing before we came in with no verbal clearance. Probably a 100 times more dangerous than the AerLingus flight above but I actually loved it. Go figure.

Aphex

Boskowski wrote: »

Probably a 100 times more dangerous than the AerLingus flight above but I actually loved it. Go figure.

For me, it's the size of the aircraft which gets the anxiety going, so maybe it was the same for you? Good stories, thanks

ComeraghBlue

Flying in a RAF Chinook Army transport helicopter from Basrah airbase to Umm Quasr port (Southern Iraq) in 2007. Flying relatively low with sudden drops and ascents and swerving about to avoid being targeted by any RPGs. Back ramp was open with a heavy machine gunner keeping watch below.

Scariest 30-40mins of my life.

Aphex

ComeraghBlue wrote: »

Flying in a RAF Chinook Army transport helicopter from Basrah airbase to Umm Quasr port (Southern Iraq) in 2007. Flying relatively low with sudden drops and ascents and swerving about to avoid being targeted by any RPGs. Back ramp was open with a heavy machine gunner keeping watch below.

Scariest 30-40mins of my life.

And there's me worried about turbulence :eek:

Boskowski

ComeraghBlue wrote: »

Flying in a RAF Chinook Army transport helicopter from Basrah airbase to Umm Quasr port (Southern Iraq) in 2007. Flying relatively low with sudden drops and ascents and swerving about to avoid being targeted by any RPGs. Back ramp was open with a heavy machine gunner keeping watch below.

Scariest 30-40mins of my life.

Thats more like it. Not like my chicken sh1t story.

Aphex

Boskowski wrote: »

Thats more like it. Not like my chicken sh1t story.

Try getting me on that Frankfurt flight

spurious

Was on an internal Polish flight in 1984. Thundered down the runway at Warsaw airport then started slowing and went back to do it again. I was never on a take off as quiet as that second go.

Boskowski

Aphex wrote: »

For me, it's the size of the aircraft which gets the anxiety going, so maybe it was the same for you? Good stories, thanks

For me its the fact of not being in control and I read this in other places too that a lot of people feel like that.
Totally irrational of course since what would I be doing with an Airbus anyway? In the Cessna it was like if something happened at least I could be in control. Which is as silly as the Airbus scenario of course (although I do have some sim hours in a Cessna )

Strumms

Back in January a few of us went on a lads trip over to London... A few beers were consumed before we boarded and a couple up in the air too.. We were having a bit of craic with the cabin crew and I can't remember what was said but one of them made a remark in reply "sure that's if we even get into Gatwick". Anyway the flight was as smooth as until about 5 minutes before touchdown. Then really bad turbulence... We managed to land and as the wheels touched the tarmac my mate shouts " we made it". I knew better and another bounce, some sideways movement a long glide and then it's power on and back up we go.... Que lots of screaming and expletives... There was a rowdy skanger hens party on board also and it was quite funny to see them loose their bravado and the colour from their faces.... 2nd attempt to land was even worse turbulence I was convinced they wouldn't get it down but fair play they did.... I was glad of the few beers let's put it that way...

Aphex

spurious wrote: »

Was on an internal Polish flight in 1984. Thundered down the runway at Warsaw airport then started slowing and went back to do it again. I was never on a take off as quiet as that second go.

Did you find out why the take off was aborted?

henryporter

Just about to land in Frankfurt airport - literally the wheels about to touch the ground, next thing the engines roar and the plane launches skywards again at a rate of knots and then veers sharp left (or was that right - at that stage I didn't care as life episodes were flashing past my eyes). Finally the plane levels off and resumes some form of normality. Pilot gets on the comm to tell us that a fox ran across the runway as he was ready to touch down and rather than have the guy sucked in the engine he did an evasive manoeuvre - a bit like the one I had done in my stomach

Aphex

Boskowski wrote: »

For me its the fact of not being in control and I read this in other places too that a lot of people feel like that.
Totally irrational of course since what would I be doing with an Airbus anyway? In the Cessna it was like if something happened at least I could be in control. Which is as silly as the Airbus scenario of course (although I do have some sim hours in a Cessna )

Makes sense as I'd be a lot more calm piloting a plane, rather than be a passenger, not that I know how, but at least I'm doing it myself. Thanks for making me jealous about the sim btw

spurious

Aphex wrote: »

Did you find out why the take off was aborted?

No - and to make matters worse things were a bit crazy in Poland at the time and there was a guy with what looked to me like a machine gun guarding the cockpit in case anyone tried to get us to fly to Sweden as had happened a couple of months before.

At security, they found a madeira cake my friend's mother had made for me to bring to her. It was in a silver carton like you get Chinese takeaway in. This drove the security lads mad and they were all shouting in Polish about it, as, I suppose you could tear it and make a weapon out of it. Anyway, the main guy shouted for my passport, which I handed over (all lovely and green as they were then) and he said 'Ireland?.......Thin Lizzy!!!!' and off I went with my life-threatening cake onto the plane. Quite bizarre.

bodhi085

Few years back flying into birmingham airport and the fog was very heavy and thick. First attempt at the landing was aborted so on the second try I presume the pilot thought sod it..the wheels of the plane slammed with such a thud on the runway that the whole plane just shook and creaked. Many people screamed and then the applause for the pilots. Have to admit it was terrifying.

Aphex

spurious wrote: »

No - and to make matters worse things were a bit crazy in Poland at the time and there was a guy with what looked to me like a machine gun guarding the cockpit in case anyone tried to get us to fly to Sweden as had happened a couple of months before.

At security, they found a madeira cake my friend's mother had made for me to bring to her. It was in a silver carton like you get Chinese takeaway in. This drove the security lads mad and they were all shouting in Polish about it, as, I suppose you could tear it and make a weapon out of it. Anyway, the main guy shouted for my passport, which I handed over (all lovely and green as they were then) and he said 'Ireland?.......Thin Lizzy!!!!' and off I went with my life-threatening cake onto the plane. Quite bizarre.

Thin Lizzy saved your ass!

Peregrine

I've never had any scary flight experiences to be honest, had a few bumpy landings sure but they're not really scary. No severe turbulence, emergency landings, not even a go around

folbotcar

Never been scared on an airliner. One advantage of being a pilot is that you know what's going on so minor events like go arounds and turbulence that scare people are merely irritating. But as I said to my wife. If she ever sees me scared then it's time to panic!

On the other hand I frightened myself more than once while flying. Climbing into cloud that got a whole lot darker and bumpier and seeing the building ice obscure the windscreen. Add to that a touch of vertigo and it all gets very 'interesting' very quickly. Curiously when l had an engine problem that necessitated a swift landing. I wasn't scared at all.

No memories of those cloud moments still wake up the butterflies in my stomach.

fr336

When I landed back in Luton of course, Aphex

fr336

Aphex wrote: »

For me, it's the size of the aircraft which gets the anxiety going, so maybe it was the same for you?

Apologies if stating the obvious, but you'd be a bit safer in the large jet than the tiny plane which would probably kill you off immediately :P Doubt I'd ever travel in a small aircraft - well maybe once if it was really good.

fr336

Tbh I'm always a bit fearful when taking off and landing even though I'm almost certain I've only ever been involved in 100% normal flights. For some reason I feel like in this day and age on board you shouldn't really feel a thing - no rumbling, roar of the plane etc. Yet this is exactly the same thing I get a kick out of Worst bit if there is any is when the runway's near a motorway and I'm watching us speed past all the cars..and keep speeding and thinking..take off will you!! :eek:

gugleguy

January 1997. JFK was previously fog bound for a couple of hours.
Flight per se was uneventful. The plane needed a second attempt to land.
When we did land, it was the fastest deceleration I've ever been in.
My only trip in a Boeing 727.

whomitconcerns

landing in atlanta 6/7 years ago, tried to land and aborted, were made circle for an hour and worst turbulence ever. lady beside me needed my sickbag as well as hers...The smell on the plane from the amount of people that got sick was unbelievable...

me...meh...just like a big roller coaster after the inital shock :DD::D

MuffinsDa

C-130H flight on an Military aircraft loaned to replace a last minute Falcon Jet that had gone technical.

It was really really rough!

A320

B737-300 Test Flight,it was class,especially the go arounds as they were a lot better than a standard with pax onboard with a steeper climb and early turn)

Setun

On the whole I've been quite lucky I think. One incident that was probably more life-threatening than I realised was a flight into Agadir from Schipol. We hit a thunderstorm right above Agadir airport, and the pilot made a few attempts at landing but he had to abort as it was too risky. I remember being fairly relaxed at the time about the whole thing, although when I looked around many of the passengers were visibly upset and quite shaken. After a while circling in some heavy turbulence, the pilot rerouted to Marrakesh. On departing the plane we were told we would be taken to Agadir via bus over the mountains. That's a whole other post though, maybe for a 'scariest bus journey you've ever been on' thread.

murphaph

spurious wrote: »

No - and to make matters worse things were a bit crazy in Poland at the time and there was a guy with what looked to me like a machine gun guarding the cockpit in case anyone tried to get us to fly to Sweden as had happened a couple of months before

There was also the legendary case of LOT Flight 165.

My worst flight was without doubt an internal US flight from JFK to Dulles (Washington). I had an aisle seat on the left of the plane. The flight was rough most of the way with poor weather but the landing was so ropey that a deadheading pilot (or a guy in a very convincing pilot's uniform) sitting a couple of rows fore on the right braced as if he expected the aircraft to crash. It really was rocking quite violently from side to side and it somehow bounced onto the runway and all was well.

On the next flight from Dulles up to Burlington VT (don't ask me why my employer routed us that way...ridiculous trek that was) I encountered a sensation I had never before felt on an aeroplane and never since...

The entire cabin would go repeatedly silent and at the same moment we were all thrown forwards (not violently so but like if someone applies the brakes in a car, you feel it) and then the engine noise would return and we'd be pushed back into our backrests (again, not violently but noticable).

It was a redeye flight so most passengers were asleep but I and a colleague were very much awake and it was sort of surreal. We didn't say anything to each other, just stared at each other's eyes as if to say "is this plane about to fall out of the sky?" Perhaps what we experienced that night was somehow normal but I fly a good bit and never had it before or since like I said. I was genuinely concerned that night. No explanation was ever given...perhaps it's a characteristic of that aircraft (Bombardier something or other it was).

valerossi

To name but a few

Heading to Brent Alfa platform on a super puma when the pilot announced that they were having issues, i started to prep my gear and trying to remember my huet training. I cant explain what happens when you hear something like that hovering over the bitter North Sea. long story short we got back to the Shetlands but still too close. Issue was cooling fans for gauges?
Another was a landing on a vessel called Saipem 7000 it took 4 attempts all very rough.

Ryanair any landing:(

St. Leibowitz

murphaph wrote: »

On the next flight from Dulles up to Burlington VT (don't ask me why my employer routed us that way...ridiculous trek that was) I encountered a sensation I had never before felt on an aeroplane and never since...

The entire cabin would go repeatedly silent and at the same moment we were all thrown forwards (not violently so but like if someone applies the brakes in a car, you feel it) and then the engine noise would return and we'd be pushed back into our backrests (again, not violently but noticable).

You were hitting clouds !!!

I had something similar on a Jetstream 31 from Pittsburgh to Chicago. The joys of flying in a turboprop over the US in summer.

We were at about 18k feet. It was a real roller coaster ride. Constant banking and heading changes are we routed around storms. Lots of buffeting. The seatbelt signs were on for the whole flight, but when we had to fly through a cloud, the pilot dinged the seatbelt sign three or four times. We all braced and got pitched forward as the plane hit the cloud. Never realised just how much denser a cloud can be to clear air. The speed change probably wasn't that dramatic, but it felt like hitting the brakes hard for half a second on the motorway.

Really enjoyed the flight.

murphaph

St. Leibowitz wrote: »

You were hitting clouds !!!

Ah, well thanks for the explanation! I always wondered what that was. It was quite unnerving. You'd think hitting cloud would happen so often that the sensation would not be anything extraordinary.

Aphex

fr336 wrote: »

Apologies if stating the obvious, but you'd be a bit safer in the large jet than the tiny plane which would probably kill you off immediately :P Doubt I'd ever travel in a small aircraft - well maybe once if it was really good.

I know, it's crazy, but that's me:P