Worst Airplane Experiences?

[Ron H]

Thinking of another thread where we got into chatting about flights, thought it might be interesting to have another thread to hear stories from us about worst airplane experiences? Here’s one of mine:

Was working with a few co-workers to look at underwriting a plant in Kalamazoo MI; the agent for the company chartered a plane out of our small airport in Milwaukee to fly across Lake Michigan to another small airport there. This was in early December as I recall. We flew in a single-engine Cessna as I vaguely recollect. Classic pilot look wearing a WWII era leather jacket. The flight there was fine; but holy chit, the return flight was another story! I sat in the co-pilot’s seat listening to the radio communication from the tower. The weather was getting nasty, windy, and the tower reported ‘wind-shear’ alerts. I quickly glanced to the pilot seeing his eyes widen. I figured we might park; but nada, we took off. When the plane left the ground it pulled off at a fast angle fighting the winds as we ascended. The wings looked like they were icing and windshield covered with ice; but for a small section in front of the pilot. We flew into thick clouds and was a hell of a bumpy ascent. As we were cruising through terrible turbulence, the pilot radioed to get a different altitude that got a little better. In the plane was a cooler full of beer and pop…everyone wanted beer as I tossed them out behind me. Some said they didn’t wanna die sober, lol. We had to have been bouncing up and down hundreds of feet. Fortunately, no one got sick. In all the flying I had done for biz, never encountered anything like this, much more, being in a plane this small. We flew blind. Then finally came time to descend into Timmerman airport that felt like forever bumping down and down. The cloud cover was friggin low. Then breaking through the clouds it looked like we were a hundred feet above the runway coming down at a 30 degree + angle tipping back and forth. That pilot managed this **** storm to get us on the ground! We gave him a huge applause as he just smiled wryly giving a big exhale. Despite all da beers we consumed…we needed a few more at the airport!

 

[peabodyracin]

Helicopter count? About 1971, stationed at Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco. We had some fixed wing and Sikorsky helo's there, for search and rescue, etc.

One night I was on the ready crew and we got a call for a boat in distress reportedly out from the Golden Gate bridge. Before I go on, I need to mention when going out over the ocean we were required to wear wet suits under our flight suits, as the water was so cold if we went down we'd last about 20 minutes without a suit. I absolutely hated the suits: hard to get on, hot to wear and uncomfortable trying to do anything of consequence, particularly if we did end up trying to rescue someone, so I took to just putting on the top of the wet suit and left the pants on my locker. That way it looked to an observer that I was properly prepared.

We took off in the dark and just as we got going the fog rolled in. The International Airport controllers took over, vectoring us using radar. We could not see anything, and I mean nothing. I had the side door open and was sitting in the door opening looking out with my feet hanging over the side, in hopes of seeing something. By this time we're out in the San Francisco bay, over water, which seemed to make the fog even worse.

The pilots were quiet and we followed the directions as they were calmly passed on over the radio. After a few minutes the pilot asked the controller where we were. The response: "you're under the Golden Gate bridge." I looked up and could sort of make out car lights and the red aircraft warning lights mounted around the bridge. It appeared we were about 30 feet off the water. We couldn't believe they'd vectored us under the bridge. The pilots remained pretty composed and polite on the radios as we continued out over the Pacific ocean.

Flew around for a good hour and never did find a thing, although I don't know how we'd have seen anything anyway. On our return we asked for a different routing. I was awfully glad to end that adventure. At 21 years old I was blissfully ignorant, but that experience did give me pause. Wouldn't have taken much for us to just fly into the water. The cold water and me with half a wet suit.

 

[zyzzyx]

I was flying to a job assignment and some Woman changed her baby's shitty diaper
right there in the seat! Surrounded by businessmen on the other side of the isle
from me (Thank God!) Took about a half hour for the smell to go away, (or us toget
used to it!) I will never forget That!

 

[JackR]

A few years ago....late night flight out of Shanghai airport to Chongqing. Airbus A310. Got on the plane and noticed the worn carpet and duct tape on a few of the “first class” seats. Think it was China Southern Airlines. Really wanted off the plane but had a morning meeting I really needed to be at. plane about 1/3 full. Gate pushback normal. Fired the port engine and rolled out, just before runway turn fired up starboard engine which was vibrating so bad all the overhead luggage doors were rattling. That got worse on rotation. At about 10K feet shut that engine off for the 3 hour flight. I was drinking beer. Had to get rid of some. The A310’s had bathroom in the tail with the doors facing to outside. Flight attendant standing there. Put her hand up for me to stop. I waited a minute or so and a guy comes out. She waves me in. No door on the bathroom.

 

[Red63440]

On August 7, 1998, the final day of a 2 week vacation in Africa I returned to my hotel room and turned on the news to see uncensored videos of the death and destruction from the blast at two of the US Embassy's, one in Nairobi and the other in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. Two hours later I boarded a South African 747 for a 22 hour flight headed for the Ascension Islands on my way back to New York, I honestly felt I would never see home again.

At 10:30 a.m. local time, a massive truck bomb explodes outside the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Minutes later, another truck bomb detonated outside the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam, the capital of neighboring Tanzania. The dual terrorist attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans, and wounded more than 4,500. The United States accused Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, a proponent of international terrorism against America, of masterminding the bombings. On August 20, President Bill Clinton ordered cruise missiles launched against bin Laden’s terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and against a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan, where bin Laden allegedly made or distributed chemical weapons.

 

[JackR]

Then there was this UAL 747 flight to Hong Kong. Ceiling started leaking 2 hours into flight. Duct tape by flight attendants did not workf

 

[Hilljack68]

Back around 2004, I and twenty-some other guys from my church were on a flight from Cleveland to Atlanta - eventually headed for a missionary project in Haiti.
As we were approaching the runway in ATL, the pilot suddenly pulled up hard and we went around to try it again. The pilot said simply "Sorry about that folks. We're going to go around and we'll have you on the ground in a few minutes."
Well, we didn't learn until a week later (when we returned to CLE) that we almost landed on another plane that was poised for take off on that same runway!! We missed him by about a hundred feet. I guess Jesus really wanted this mission trip accomplished.

 

[HawkRod]

This was in the late 80's. Weather was looking bad and several flights were cancelled from Houston airport. I managed to rebook to a Houston to Atlanta flight that was not cancelled. The airplane was packed. Maybe this was a 707 (don't remember plane types well), but I was almost all the way in the back with the flight attendants station next to our seats.

The flight got very bumpy, and they cancelled having the cart come by. They stated they would only bring by drinks from a tray. As I watched the flight attendant pour soda into small plastic cups, we dropped hundreds of feet. I distinctly remember seeing the flight attendant floating in the air, along with 15-20 cups of soda also floating in the air. When we hit the bottom of the air pocket, she and the soda were smashed to the floor - poor thing got hurt a bit. After that, they cancelled all beverage service.

The flight got even worse, many people were using air sickness bags. Then a person in a couple of rows behind me got a heart attack. They called for a doctor and started working on this person - it didn't look good.

We tried landing at Atlanta three times. I was sure we were going to crash trying to land. And you KNOW with a heart attack victim the pilot was desperately trying to land the plane. But they had to abort all, and then get diverted to Camden, SC. Once we landed, the pilot STERNLY told us to sit down and STAY PUT until the patient was addressed. The EMTs came through the tail steps and took the person out. Never did find out if they made it.

Not a good flight!

 

[YY1]

Flying from FL to CA around 2005 A320 , over Arizona we hit turbulence and dropped what seemed like 500 feet.

Everyone's drinks went to the ceiling and stayed there for what seemed like a minute.

Some magazines and other stuff went too.

After that we had to deal with all the liquid dripping back down.

 

[Hilljack68]

Everyone's drinks went to the ceiling and stayed there for what seemed like a minute.

Some magazines and other stuff went too.

After that we had to deal with all the liquid dripping back down.

...and no one had clean underwear!!

 

[Ron H]

Then there was this UAL 747 flight to Hong Kong. Ceiling started leaking 2 hours into flight. Duct tape by flight attendants did not workf View attachment 1042896View attachment 1042897

Wow - a sight that gives one confidence da plane is gonna stay together!

 

[Ron H]

Not exactly “on the plane” story; but my worst encounter connecting but missing it by a hair: Was to connect to a puddle-jumper flight to Hattiesburg from Atlanta. When I got to Atlanta, could not find any info on the gate for Hattiesburg. I had a little over an hour for the connection. Can’t count how many desks and agents I asked while watching the time tick by lugging my heavy laptop and night bag thru the airport. Nobody friggin knew! Finally one desk could tell me after checking their pewters then making phones calls as the time ticked away, what gate and then hoofed it there with a few minutes to spare (flight departure time). This was one of those flights where ya walked out on the tarmac to board. Just as I run up to the gate, sweating my *** off, heart pounding, da attendant just closed the door as I ran up to her. I could see the maybe 5 passengers on the flight walking out to the plane yet. I explained to her my ordeal showing her my boarding pass. Nope! She friggin wouldn’t let me get to the plane even though I pointed out the window that people hadn’t all boarded yet! ******* took all I had to avoid a full meltdown. So what was my next option? Wait 4 hours to get a plane to Gulfport arriving around midnight. Well the company guy I was to meet at the Hatti port was to pick me up. Had to call him to tell him wasn’t making it. Flew to Gulfport, had to rent a car to drive to Hatti in the middle of the night, check in the hotel, around 2AM or so…and be all set to meet later that morning, 7AM meeting! Summmbitch!

 

[Basket case]

wife has family that moved to California years ago. we get out there very so often. Never had any problem flying in an airliner, or single engine plane. Get nervous, but once in progress I'm fine. Last time out in 2013, on the way home we had a layover in Vegas. Never been there before. Very bumpy on the way in, and my first turbulence. I was OK for the most part, we were in the very back of the plane, first time for that too. Right before touch down, guy from up front was heading for the can, made it to the seat right in front of me and yakked up. Then as soon as we touched down, guy across the aisle yakked up. Then I thought I was going to be next but never did. I was sick to my stomach the rest of the way home )to Greater Pitt), we got in around 2am, and was still sick until the next morning.

 

[dadsbee]

I'm fairly sure it hasn't come yet, but I'm trying not to be an Old Bold Pilot...

 

[68gtxman]

I trained to be a pilot at McGuire AFB. Flying mostly Cessna 172s and Piper Archers on the same runways as the KC-130s and C-141s (“Heavies”). McGuire was also a student ATC (air traffic control) base. I can’t tell you how many times a student controller put me on collision courses with heavies. One night I had to make 5 approaches before I got onto the ground. The first 4 approaches were collision courses with a 141 who was shooting approaches on a cross runway and the student ATC just couldn’t figure out that I flew at half the speed (or less) of the 141, so when he cleared me in for a landing, I would be in the same place at the same time with the 141 - at night! I had to execute 4 emergency 180s.

 

[68gtxman]

I'm fairly sure it hasn't come yet, but I'm trying not to be an Old Bold Pilot...

Right! There are bold pilots, but not old and bold pilots

 

[Shorthorse]

Sometime in the late 70's I had to go to an Armour-Dial factory in Iowa to do some work. I spent 12 hours in O'Hare due to bad weather and finally got a flight to Burlington. The weather was terrible and as we were landing at Burlington I noticed the runway lights appeared to be going by perpendicular to the plane. Sure enough, we were going sideways on the runway. As the pilot finally got the plane straight and had the engines in full reverse, we went off the end of the runway and buried the front landing gear in the muck with the rear landing gear still on the runway surface. Nobody panicked or even got out of their seats, even as we sat leaning downhill. You could hear a pin drop. We got out of the plane and were shuttled by people driving rental cars driven out to pick us up. Nobody was injured and there were no emergency vehicles. It was a very bizarre day.

 

[Ron H]

Sorry – I keep sharing stories about all the times I had to fly around…but your posts are entertaining! On one biz trip in February with my boss to an office we had in Phoenix, colder than you know what in Milwaukee…we were seated in an emergency exit row and there was a drip-drip water leak that irritated the hell out of my could be testy boss, close friends as we were. And something was goofed up with his seat as he sat a few inches lower in it that made be bust out laughing. He wasn’t amused. We added a couple days to the trip to play golf and had tee-times arranged few hours after we landed taking our clubs with us. Ahh, well the pilot decides to announce mid-flight, the cargo door was frozen so most of the luggage didn’t go with us. Course this didn’t set well at all. When we got to the course, we were given a selection of dirt **** clubs and old shoes that weren’t good enough to donate to Goodwill. My boss tried on a few pairs of old golf shoes finding a pair he thought fit OK, until, as I bust a gut again, I told him the rear seams were pert-near busted out on them! We played with the shoes we had on and lousy sticks ya could barely hold onto with the over-worn grips. I took a set of women’s clubs being about in the best condition. Using those, I had a huge hook, funnier than hell, so I just started aiming 45-degrees to the right!

 

[T2R9]

Oh goodness. I hate flying. The worse had to be when I got out of boot camp and A school in the Navy. I was in Maine and my orders had me reporting to the ship in Philadelphia on Christmas eve. I called the ship trying to get it extended to after the first but no one would give me an answer. Foggy night and I had a prop plane going into Philly and it was bouncing all over. I get to the ship and report aboard and they are like "What are you doing here?" I sat around for a week with nothing to do but I reported on time.