SINGAPORE: A flight from Vancouver to Singapore on Oct 11 encountered severe turbulence that sent food, and even some passengers, flying. Fortunately, no one was injured.
One of the passengers on board shared photos from the flight in an r/aircanada post. One showed the aisle between rows of seats littered with food, trays, water bottles, and other items.
Another showed stains on the ceiling of the aircraft cabin.
The Reddit user, u/HefetzHashud, wrote that the aircraft encountered “some major bumps” just a few hours after Air Canada Flight 219 left Vancouver last Friday, adding that “everything went flying (including a few people!)”
“Kudos to the crew for keeping everyone under control, and don’t forget to wear your seatbelt!!” he added.
The flight on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Singapore proceeded as scheduled, with no additional incidents on its 16-hour journey and no need for an emergency landing. The crew members were reported to have cleaned up the cabin as best as they could.
Air Canada told CBS News that the flight experienced “some turbulence”.
The post author said the incident occurred without warning and took everyone by surprise.
When asked how long the turbulence lasted, he guessed that it was between four and seven minutes but added that he could not accurately tell as the passengers were already “freaking out.”
Everything went flying on board when the plane experienced a sudden drop in altitude, he added.
Another passenger said she thought the seatbelt sign was already on before the major drop as the flight was bumpy by then. She added that the drop made her feel that her stomach was in her throat.
“All you see is heads go up, food and drinks hit the roof. I hope most people had their seat belts on!! Because that would have hurt so much,” she wrote.
She said in another comment that she had been “terrified”, adding that it made her realise how helpless people are while on board a plane.
Another wrote that the experience felt like being on a roller coaster “where you have several seconds of weightlessness.”
They added that the cabin had been full of floating food, with coffee dripping on them from the ceiling. The commenter also wrote they even had to pick rice out of their hair afterwards.
While many Reddit users expressed how glad they were that everyone on board was all right, one of the passengers thanked the Air Canada crew for being “amazing” in helping everyone.
A number of commenters also reminded everyone to keep their seatbelts buckled when they’re seated, as turbulence can happen at any time.
While pilots can sometimes anticipate areas of turbulence, there is a phenomenon called “clear turbulence”, which is invisible to pilots.
Earlier this year, a Singapore Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Bangkok after encountering severe and sudden turbulence. Some passengers were injured on the flight, and a 71-year-old male passenger had heart failure.
Following this incident in May, Singapore Airlines made changes to its cabin rules for the greater safety of its passengers and crew. /TISG
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