NZ Herald Monday 16 October 2017 Passengers on board an AirAsia flight from Perth to Bali feared for their lives after the aircraft plunged 20,000 feet in a midair emergency.
Flight QZ535 was forced to turn back to Perth Airport yesterday morning, just 25 minutes into its flight, after a technical issue caused the cabin to lose pressure.
Oxygen masks dropped from above the seats and passengers were told to get into a brace position as the plane plunged from 32,000 feet to 10,000 feet.
Clare Askew, among the 145 passengers on board, said the reaction of the airline’s crew made the ordeal more terrifying.
“The panic was escalated because of the behaviour of staff who were screaming, looked tearful and shocked,” she told Perth Now.
“Now, I get it, but we looked to them for reassurance and we didn’t get any, we were more worried because of how panicked they were.”
A passenger named Leah told Nine News: “I actually picked up my phone and sent a text message to my family, just hoping that they would get it. We were all pretty much saying goodbye to each other. It was really upsetting.” Read more…
