Friday, January 19, 2018

Terrified passengers hold hands and pray as Malaysia Airlines plane begins "shaking" and crew warn to "brace for impact"



Terrified passengers feared they were "going to die" when a Malaysia Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after it began "shaking" violently after a "loud bang".

Travellers held hands, prayed and burst into tears as the mid-air drama unfolded and flight attendants - accused of being "nervous and clueless" - told them to "brace for impact".

After one passenger asked "Are we crashing or are we landing", a crew member aboard flight MH122 responded: "I don't know."

The Airbus A330 was about halfway into its eight-hour flight from Sydney, Australia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was forced to land due to an engine failure.


The plane, carrying 224 passengers and crew, touched down safely after being hit by a "massive vibration" as it flew over Broome,Australia, near the country's north-west coast.

The airline said a "loud bang" was heard from the left engine before a warning indicator lit up in the cockpit.

Some passengers said Thursday's incident was so traumatic they were left hesitant to get on another plane.

Donna Edwards, who was travelling to London, told 9 News that the crew had just turned off the lights when there was a "massive vibration".
She added: "The whole plane was shaking."

She said passengers held hands and went through a harrowing 30 minutes before they were told to "brace for impact".

Ms Edwards added: "One of the crew stopped near us and one guy said ‘are we crashing or are we landing?’

"The crew member said 'I don't know'. We were just bracing for the worst. I thought I was going to die."

About half an hour later the crew told passengers everything was under control.

The plane then landed at Alice Springs Airport in Australia's Northern Territory.

According to the Australian, one man wrote on Twitter during the emergency: “My wife is on MH122 and it was diverted to Alice Springs. My wife briefly contacted me just now and she is scared and crying. What happened to MH122?

“(This) has given a scare to the passengers. Pull your act together and make flying safe”.

Passenger Sanjeev Pandey, who was travelling to Mumbai, told of his terror and claimed the flight attendants seemed "nervous and clueless".

He wrote on Twitter: "Emergency landing at Alice Springs. The scariest part was that once the engine started to make a loud disturbing noise, the flight attendants all seemed nervous n clueless.

"For around 15 mins, there was no announcement. 15 mins were as long as 15 hours!"

He added later: "A lot of journos asked me this question - ‘Will you fly Malaysian airlines again?’ Well, yes and no. If the technical failure was something that could have happened to any aircraft and was thus unavoidable, I will continue to fly. Otherwise, NO!"

Mr Pandey told the BBC: "[The plane] was shaking and vibrating and the noise was getting louder and louder.

"Some people were praying and people had tears in their eyes. It was a really terrifying moment."

Passenger Madhu Alasyam paid tribute to the crew, tweeting: "Malaysian Airlines flight MH122 scared the hell, kudos to pilot for safe landing in Alice Springs, after a brace-for-impact call."



He later wrote: " @MAS may be trying their best, but it's unlikely i will take up the 50% OFF for next booking, as I'm not interested to risk my life or inconvenience bcoz they forgot to check their planes. I couldn't sleep and wish to get over this leg of journey asap."

Maryna Delport Evetts, a fellow passenger, wrote on Facebook: "So just when you think this would never happen to you or it just happens in the movies, on our flight back home, four hours into the journey we had engine failure, s*** s*** s***.

"We turned back and we are now sitting at the Airport in Alice Springs. Not too sure when we will be leaving but hey ho, we are on terra firma. Not a good feeling 10,000 feet up in the air."

She wrote later: "So the girl at the baggage check in counter told us that our plane is 'broken broken' and we are now waiting for another plane to arrive from Melbourne."

After the plane landed in Alice Springs, passengers were put up in hotels and boarded a flight to Malaysia on Friday after a nearly 24-hour wait.

Their departure was delayed slightly due to a thunderstorm.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the engine shutdown and the crew's actions.

Afterwards, Malaysia Airlines apologised for the incident and insisted the crew was "in control at all times".

A spokesman said: "Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets the distress experienced by passengers of MH122 on 18 January 2018 following the diversion of the aircraft to Alice Springs Airport on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Sydney."

CEO Capt Izham Ismail said: “I apologise to all our guests over the incident and understand the anxiety experienced. The operating captain and the rest of the crew were in control at all times and made an accurate decision to obtain technical assistance from the nearest airport before landing the aircraft safely in Alice Springs.


"Based on reports received, there was a loud bang heard from the left hand engine. This was followed by a warning indicator which appeared on the electronic aircraft monitoring system.

"The captain then requested for the cabin crew to prepare for a normal landing.

"There was no chaos reported in the cabin. I thank all crew onboard for managing the situation by the book and in the calmest way possible.

"The crew performed their duties well, in line with their extensive training, in managing such situations. Safety was at no time, compromised.”
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