Mid-air panic strikes: Japan Airlines passengers share near death experience when Boeing 737 plunged 26,000 ft in 10 mins

Time of India

4 days ago

FILE PHOTO: An El Al Israel Airlines Boeing 737-900ER airplane takes off from the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport as seen from Paracuellos del Jarama, outside Madrid, Spain, August 8, 2018. REUTERS/Paul Hanna/File Photo
A Japan Airlines flight plunged nearly 26,000 feet after a sudden cabin pressure failure on 30 June. Passengers from Shanghai to Tokyo grabbed oxygen masks as the plane dived, fearing they would lose consciousness or crash. Some wrote farewell notes mid-air. The pilot diverted the Boeing 737 to Osaka where it landed safely. No injuries were reported. The scare adds to recent global incidents involving Boeing aircraft, including an Air India mid-air drop and older deadly crashes linked to the 737 series.
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Safe landing in Osaka
Boeing's safety under scrutiny
A Japan Airlines flight from Shanghai to Tokyo turned frightening when its Boeing 737 nosedived nearly 26,000 feet mid-air. On Monday, 30 June, flight JL8696, run by Japan Airlines' low-cost partner Spring Japan, left Shanghai Pudong Airport with 191 passengers and crew. Everything seemed routine until 6:53 PM local time.A sudden cabin pressure drop forced the aircraft down from 36,000 feet to just under 10,500 feet in ten minutes. Oxygen masks dropped from overhead panels. Passengers scrambled to put them on.A passenger told the Associated Press, 'I heard a muffled boom, and the next thing I knew, oxygen masks dropped from above. A flight attendant cried and shouted for everyone to wear their masks, saying there was a malfunction.' Another told the AP they woke up to the masks falling and felt on the 'verge of tears.'Footage from inside the cabin shows passengers holding their masks tight. Some clutched their seats. Others looked frozen in shock.One passenger revealed they wrote their will as the plane dropped. They jotted down insurance details and bank PINs. As reported by the South China Morning Post, one described the experience online: 'My body is still here, but my soul hasn't caught up. My legs are still shaking. When you face life or death, everything else feels trivial.'Another passenger wrote that the plane 'started plummeting violently at around 7 PM and dropped to 3,000 metres in just 20 minutes.'Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism later confirmed that the aircraft's pressurisation system triggered the emergency. The pilot declared an emergency, turned the plane towards Kansai International Airport in Osaka and landed safely at 8:50 PM.No injuries were reported. Passengers spent the night in hotels and received 15,000 yen each for transport. Japan Airlines has not yet given an official explanation.This close call joins other troubling stories around Boeing's 737 line. Last year, a Jeju Air 737-800 crashed in South Korea, killing 179 people. In March 2022, a China Eastern Airlines 737 disaster killed all 132 on board.In India, Air India faced its own scare this June. A Delhi-Vienna Boeing 777 dropped 900 feet mid-air on 14 June. Two days earlier, an Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad just after take-off, leaving only one survivor. Air India told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 'Upon receipt of the pilot's report, the matter was disclosed to DGCA in accordance with regulations. Subsequently, upon receipt of data from the aircraft's recorders, further investigation was initiated. The pilots have been off-rostered pending the outcome of the investigation.'As investigators probe what failed on JL8696, passengers are left to process what nearly happened. For them, this was not just another headline.It was a flight where some whispered final words to loved ones. And a reminder that at 36,000 feet, safety can never be taken for granted.