Flying horror tales

[CorkedHat]

Reading about the American Airlines plane that hit turbulence over Missouri and had to make an emergency landing in Colorado I wonder if any FOFFERS have similar tales to tell about flying.
I was once caught up in a mother and a father of all electrical storms on a flight between Melbourne and Brisbane. The plane got hit by lightning twice and the sound of it going through the fuselage was like a rifle shot. We also fell like a stone for a good thirty seconds with all the lights going out in the cabin. We somehow evened out and limped into Eagle Farm Airport in Brisbane but how we made it I have no idea.

[blingo]

Which explains WHY you are a Super Hero  :sir_roy: :005:

[The Doctor]

Nothing particulrly dramatic in my case.  We were once returning from a family holiday in Cyprus when all the electrics on our plane suddenly cut out as we were thundering down the runway for take-off.  That caused an overnight delay while the engineers sorted it out.

My (then 5 year old) brother was the cause of one horror story for a nervous flyer on our first flight.  We'd just taken off and he piped up with "Are we going to see God now?".  Cue liberal use of the sickbags by the bloke across the aisle.

One thing that will always stick in my mind though is the return flight after the Europa League final a couple of months ago.  We'd flown with Ryanair from Bremen to Stansted.  Never again.  The pilot's idea of landing a plane seemed to be to smash it as hard and fast into the tarmac as he possibly could.  There was a horrible moment when I thought the undercarriage would give way and we'd slide out of control across the apron clean into the terminal!  I doubt that particular aircraft has many more hours of service if that's the treatment it gets every day.  The pilot needs to spend more time in the Krypton Factor simulator, methinks

[CorkedHat]

Which explains WHY you are a Super Hero  :sir_roy: :005:

I don't think superheros would crap themselves and at the same time ask God fo forgive him for all his misdeeds, Mr Blingo. Supercoward more like it  :006:

[leonffc]

Not personally but I got friendly with a Cardiff fan (I was wary at first but he was a top bloke) in Ibiza 3 yrs ago when that plane came down in Madrid.
He casually mentioned that he was in an air disaster. Turned out that he was on a rugby tour in Amsterdam 10 yrs ago but had to leave early. Travelling alone he missed his first 2 small city hopper planes due to cash transfer problems. When the money had cleared 8 hrs later he begged to be let on and they drove him accross the runway to the plane and he jumped in and strapped himself in. The steward told him to move once they were up and sit where his ticket said.
Half way accross the N.sea the plane lost an engine and turned around back to Schlippol airport. Not usaully a problem but the pilot came in too fast and when he tried to pull out the plane went on to its sidedue to just one engine, missed the car park and crashed in a field nearby.
Andy (my mate) said he wasnt thinking 'am I going to die' but 'HOW am I going to die?' When he came round the woman next to where he was sitting before he moved was dead, he was covered in fuel and the opposite wing was ablaze. He broke his foot to get out and headed for the light where the cockpit was. Three died and just he and an American managed to get out unaided.
Quite how he managed to get on a plane ever again is beyoned me but he follows Wales, Cardiff and Joe Calzaghe (did) evrywhere so he says he blocks it out. He sunk a few on the day he lefty though!!

Check out his website. It sends a shiver down my spine.

http://www.welshelec.co.uk/air/frames.htm

[TheDaddy]

I had the worst case of turbulence ever flying from stansted to blackpool it was called 18 pints of guiness.Finished late shift at work and instead of sleeping stayed up till my taxi arrived to take me to Liverpool St.I can all hear you say way didn't you use the toilet on the plane ?.Well its such a short flight that a woman went in just after take off and by the time she got out we all had to buckle up for the landing.I ignored the stewardess and made my to the loo at the back of the plane.Did me business as the planed landed .Had the greatest of pleasure when i walked out and realised everyone had to leave the plane by the rear !

[Lighthouse]

I have travelled by Aeroflot. Does that count?

[mrska]

I sat behind Lawrie Sanchez on a flight to Florida...  i still have nightmares!

[FatFreddysCat]

I once had a four hour delay. Terrible, i just drank more overpriced beer at the airport.

[Motown]

There's been a few and, apparently, I'm now deemed untouchable in terms of flying for the rest of my natural....... There was the short hop flight between Montreal and Toronto circa 1979 when lightening zapped the engine pod on my B737 conveyance during a storm and put it out of commission. No real problems though, as we had one left for landing and an obliging, if ashen-faced stewie served me a rather spectacular Bloody Mary on the provisio I didn't spill it - silly girl!
There was also the Continental flight out of Gatwick circa 1991 when the B747 lost one engine on take off, lost another as it began its climb and struggled to clear Russ Hill before dumping its fuel over half of Sussex prior to limping home.
Worst of the lot was the National Airlines flight between Miami and London in 1977. We hit CAT (clear air turbulence) and dropped 11,000 feet before the captain regained control. Even the cabin crew hit the floor screaming. I'd like to say I was brave. I wasn't. I was merely pissed - the shakes came later.
Oh, and I was also sitting by the door in a helicopter over Niagara Falls when the door flew open and I was left hanging by my lapstrap - I've never flown in a chopper since...... :beer:

[ron]

I was once on a plane where they served the claret in hock glasses. 

[HatterDon]

does repeatedly getting shot at by automatic weapons, crew-served weapons, and 175mm cannons count as scary?

[GoldCoastWhite]

does repeatedly getting shot at by automatic weapons, crew-served weapons, and 175mm cannons count as scary?

You flew into LAX over East L.A  Don ? But in all seriousness. I don't think anyone who hasn't experienced that could ever comprehend what it would be like. But I'm glad you made it home !

[boxhockcycsock]

I took a class in Fluid Mechanics from a professor who has made a career of studying plane-crashes. He loved telling us all about them and I always thought, "Boy, I bet HE would be a real gas to sit next to on a flight."   :031:

[Jimpav]

Was anyone else on the Fulham flyer to Boro a few years back?

That flight got struck by lightning. Don't think any damage was done but it was a big bang. We lost 3-1 but had already secured our league status thanks to Liverpools weakened team the week before.

I was on the same BA plane back from Beijing that crash landed three days later  (everyone survived).

Another time I was on a plane to Gothenburg from London City and one of the engines cut out over the North Sea. Had to do an emergency landing in Stansted and then take a cab to Heathrow. Would have just needed Gatwick to complete the set.