Passengers panic as plane 'free falls' over 8,000m

Passengers panicked when oxygen masks opened as the plane suddenly "free-falled" due to loss of cabin pressure.

Nearly 200 passengers on Virgin Australia's VA993 Boeing 737 flight from Sydney to Brisbane (Australia) this Wednesday night were extremely panicked when the loss of cabin pressure caused the plane to "free fall" more than 8,000m from an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,200m) to below 10,000 feet (3,000m).

It was about 40 minutes after takeoff that the plane suddenly lost altitude and oxygen masks were quickly deployed.

Data from FlightRadar shows the plane reached a maximum altitude of 37,000 feet around 9 p.m. before plummeting to 8,775 feet.

The flight remained at this altitude for the remainder of the journey to Brisbane before landing safely.

The plane suddenly lost altitude of more than 8,000m.

According to images obtained by 10News , oxygen masks were deployed in the luggage compartment. Passengers on the flight said the plane "suddenly lost altitude," and flight attendants tried to keep passengers calm as they feared the worst.

One passenger named Haley even texted her husband saying "the plane is going down."

A Virgin Australia spokesman confirmed the flight landed safely in Brisbane, 10 minutes later than scheduled, after a decompression incident.

"The crew took appropriate steps, in accordance with standard operating procedures, to descend to a lower altitude. During that process, a PAN call was transmitted to air traffic control," the spokesman said. PANs are internationally recognized emergency calls that signal an aircraft needs assistance in an emergency situation.

PAN is different from a Mayday call, which is reserved for life-threatening emergencies only.

Passengers on the flight wearing oxygen masks

The spokesperson said that no passengers or crew members were injured in the incident, and all had been contacted by the airline's customer relations team for advice. An investigation into the incident is also underway.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hanh-khach-hoang-loan-khi-may-bay-roi-tu-do-hon-8000m-18525081508343278.htm