What's the worst turbulence you have encountered?
Mar 10, 2008, 3:46 am
#16
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It probably wasn't the most turbulent, but flying on a LAN F50 (one of the old KLM planes - I did wonder if I had been on it in blue livery as well 
) flight between Cartagena and Rio Negro in Medellin in Colombia. On approach there were the hugest thunderheads, which the pilot was having to weave his way around to get down to the airport - not quite an ILS precision approach. Even though we were skirting between the clouds, it was still pretty turbulent - and just the kind of situation things could go wrong in! Since I was in country with spottie, I'd already had several lectures on the deficiencies of the airline, the aircraft and the airport
) flight between Cartagena and Rio Negro in Medellin in Colombia. On approach there were the hugest thunderheads, which the pilot was having to weave his way around to get down to the airport - not quite an ILS precision approach. Even though we were skirting between the clouds, it was still pretty turbulent - and just the kind of situation things could go wrong in! Since I was in country with spottie, I'd already had several lectures on the deficiencies of the airline, the aircraft and the airport
Mar 10, 2008, 4:03 am
#17
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Terrifying flight on a BAC-111 from Manchester to Ibiza in 1985, the landing felt like the Lufthansa looked like a few days ago, right up to the moment of landing we were bouncing wildly, stomach churning drops, swinging side to side, zero vis, and to make matters worse I was seated in the back row by the engines (BAC-111s aren't that quiet!) so the wild swinging in engine power were very apparent. Hit the ground with a near-tyre-bursting bang and veered fairly wildly in the ultimately succesful attempt to keep on the runway. Will never forget it. I don't know what auto-land facilities that plane had, or whether the pilot would have used autoland, but I guess being at Ibiza there may not have been many diversion options.
Mar 10, 2008, 4:07 am
#18
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Into DUB just before xmas with FR it also felt like the LH landing looked, the pilot came on the PA after landing and said "I hope you all enjoyed that as much as we did on the flight deck".
Mar 10, 2008, 4:16 am
#19
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Had a really really nasty approach and landing into EDI in about 2000 on a BA 737-200. It was so windy we were approaching on an angle to the runway and the engines were spooling up and down (those old 737-200 were so noisey).
After we landed the pilot came on and said that he had been flying 737s for nearly 20 years and that had been the hardest landing he had ever done.
Worst turbulence for me was on a flight from Naples in Florida to Miami in a 2 engined prop plane - we flew through a thunderstorm. The shirt I was wearing was soaked through as if it had been dipped in a sink because I had sweated so much - had to buy a new shirt to wear at Miami.
After we landed the pilot came on and said that he had been flying 737s for nearly 20 years and that had been the hardest landing he had ever done.
Worst turbulence for me was on a flight from Naples in Florida to Miami in a 2 engined prop plane - we flew through a thunderstorm. The shirt I was wearing was soaked through as if it had been dipped in a sink because I had sweated so much - had to buy a new shirt to wear at Miami.
Mar 10, 2008, 4:17 am
#20
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Once on an AA flight from JFK coming into LHR, very early on a Monday morning. Joined the stack at, I think Lambourne, then flying south over the City of London, about to make the big right hand turn to line up with LHR. As the plane turned it fell like a stone. I know they always say that seemingly huge drops are only twenty feet or so, but this felt huge. Personal items slamming into the ceiling, that sort of thing. I was really quite scared. But it was over before it happened. Nobody mentioned it, not even the Captain.
Cheers,
Rick
Mar 10, 2008, 4:23 am
#21
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Brown Air in a Shorts breadvan from NCL to MAN.
Seriously bumpy in flight, but the pilot had the cockpit door open for landing and it was very very scary watching the terminal building coming into view as we crabbed into land. Even worse a few seconds later when we had swung around and were pointing directly away from the terminal building.
Fortunately he managed to time the landing to a point where the aircraft and runway were at least approximately aligned.
Seriously bumpy in flight, but the pilot had the cockpit door open for landing and it was very very scary watching the terminal building coming into view as we crabbed into land. Even worse a few seconds later when we had swung around and were pointing directly away from the terminal building.
Fortunately he managed to time the landing to a point where the aircraft and runway were at least approximately aligned.
Mar 10, 2008, 4:40 am
#22
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YVR-DFW last May, diverted to SAT after we circled for a while. DFW got completely shut down due to thunderstorms and when they re-opened one approach we flew in, 3 hours later. Terrifying.
LHR-AMS January 2002, turbulence the whole way, no cabin service at all, only time I've ever heard a spontaneous round of applause from all passengers upon landing. Awful weather all weekend, both inbound and outbound flights were delayed by 3 hours!
LHR-AMS January 2002, turbulence the whole way, no cabin service at all, only time I've ever heard a spontaneous round of applause from all passengers upon landing. Awful weather all weekend, both inbound and outbound flights were delayed by 3 hours!
Mar 10, 2008, 5:11 am
#23
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Mercifully, nothing as bad as what's been reported in this thread. The worst was a flight in (really) light aircraft from Vancouver Island to Pemberton - a little Cessna of some type, I think. As we approached Pemberton, we were flying just below the top of the surrounding mountains. The pilot pointed to a shift in the ridge line up ahead, and told up it was normally a bit bumpy around there.
Sure enough, we hit that point and get the elevator-dropping-without-a-cable feeling. Probably no more than 20-30 feet but long enough to wonder whether and when it would stop...
Rather morbidly, this thread has got me wondering: has there ever been a documented incident of turbulence so severe that a plane lost (say) a wing? Planes aren't indestructible, so there must be some point at which the structure is threatened, no?
Sure enough, we hit that point and get the elevator-dropping-without-a-cable feeling. Probably no more than 20-30 feet but long enough to wonder whether and when it would stop...
Rather morbidly, this thread has got me wondering: has there ever been a documented incident of turbulence so severe that a plane lost (say) a wing? Planes aren't indestructible, so there must be some point at which the structure is threatened, no?
Mar 10, 2008, 5:18 am
#24
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Ive had a few "interesting" flights coming into or going out of Belfast City airport. Because its quite exposed it seems to suffer from a lot of high winds and i've had a few trips coming in where it felt like the the Dash 8 we were on was flying at a 45 degree angle to the runway. I've been flying for years and absolutely love it, but i have to admit i still have my heart in my mouth during bumpy approaches.
Efin
Efin
Mar 10, 2008, 5:29 am
#25
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About 4 years ago I was bumped off a VS flight from LHR-CPT. Got put on the BA flight in economy in a seat that had the recline button fully depressed so I was always in the recline position from take off onwards.
About half-way through the night flight over mid-Africa I was woken by the sound of light turbulence. Looking out of the window I could see lightening which was getting closer and closer, and the turbulence getting worse and worse
Sudenly there was a loud bang, the engines began to raw, the plane fell and everyone who wasn't tied down hit the ceiling. I can still remeber the strange sight of blankets slowly returning back to seats and people and food lying on the floor. I think 2 flight attendents and 2 passengers had to go to hospital on our landing in CPT. This made me quite a nervous flyer for a while
About half-way through the night flight over mid-Africa I was woken by the sound of light turbulence. Looking out of the window I could see lightening which was getting closer and closer, and the turbulence getting worse and worse
Sudenly there was a loud bang, the engines began to raw, the plane fell and everyone who wasn't tied down hit the ceiling. I can still remeber the strange sight of blankets slowly returning back to seats and people and food lying on the floor. I think 2 flight attendents and 2 passengers had to go to hospital on our landing in CPT. This made me quite a nervous flyer for a while
Mar 10, 2008, 5:34 am
#26
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About 4 years ago I was bumped off a VS flight from LHR-CPT. Got put on the BA flight in economy in a seat that had the recline button fully depressed so I was always in the recline position from take off onwards.
About half-way through the night flight over mid-Africa I was woken by the sound of light turbulence. Looking out of the window I could see lightening which was getting closer and closer, and the turbulence getting worse and worse
Sudenly there was a loud bang, the engines began to raw, the plane fell and everyone who wasn't tied down hit the ceiling. I can still remeber the strange sight of blankets slowly returning back to seats and people and food lying on the floor. I think 2 flight attendents and 2 passengers had to go to hospital on our landing in CPT. This made me quite a nervous flyer for a while
About half-way through the night flight over mid-Africa I was woken by the sound of light turbulence. Looking out of the window I could see lightening which was getting closer and closer, and the turbulence getting worse and worse
Sudenly there was a loud bang, the engines began to raw, the plane fell and everyone who wasn't tied down hit the ceiling. I can still remeber the strange sight of blankets slowly returning back to seats and people and food lying on the floor. I think 2 flight attendents and 2 passengers had to go to hospital on our landing in CPT. This made me quite a nervous flyer for a while
Mar 10, 2008, 5:38 am
#27
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There are two that spring to mind.
1. Many years ago, can't remember where to, but the flight was out of ARN.
Just after they served coffe and tea, we encountered severe turbulence.
It was of short duration, but the aftermath was spectacular, a plane load of soaked, burned and coffe stained PAX.
2. Twenty years ago, a flight from North India to Katmandu, quite a bouncy flight, but not the worst turbulence I've experienced.
However, for some unknown reason, Indian and Nepali PAX seem to suffer air sickness to a degree never seen in the west.
Not only did most of them throw up, but they all seem to become incapable of trying to throw up in to the bags provided, or even in to the ailes.
They where throwing up all over themselves and anybody within easy reach.
Quite unpleasant.
bjorns
1. Many years ago, can't remember where to, but the flight was out of ARN.
Just after they served coffe and tea, we encountered severe turbulence.
It was of short duration, but the aftermath was spectacular, a plane load of soaked, burned and coffe stained PAX.
2. Twenty years ago, a flight from North India to Katmandu, quite a bouncy flight, but not the worst turbulence I've experienced.
However, for some unknown reason, Indian and Nepali PAX seem to suffer air sickness to a degree never seen in the west.
Not only did most of them throw up, but they all seem to become incapable of trying to throw up in to the bags provided, or even in to the ailes.
They where throwing up all over themselves and anybody within easy reach.
Quite unpleasant.
bjorns
Mar 10, 2008, 5:53 am
#28
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If I am going to lose my job. my marriage, and everything else that I hold Dearit would be for something more Brian Ferry than Phil Collins!!! Kiss n' Tell? Kiss n' Run more like!! How could I post here with that terrible knowledge?
Turbulence? The worst as I recall was once flying from Manila to Hong Kong years ago on a 747. We had CAT and the aircraft literally fell like a stone. I was pinned to the roof and when gravity reasserted itself I came to earth with a bang. I know that I screamed or something but I was not hurt. The noise and the mess were beyond belief. Everything that we had been serving crashed down with us and I was cut by glass but not severely. I sat on the floor like a puppet whose string had been cut. The Inflight Manager wanted to pull me off service but I had to go and Florence Nightingale down the aircraft.
I have never had a flight where we were unable to serve but winter over the North Atlantic or North Pacific can be bouncy.
Mar 10, 2008, 5:54 am
#29
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Maxjet to JFK...just shy of 2 ys ago.
Crew strapped in for last 3 hours of flight looking visibly sick.... was very bumpy
Or last time I flew a cessna (on a lesson).... that was rather interestingly bumpy too.
More scary as I was in control (allegedly
)
Crew strapped in for last 3 hours of flight looking visibly sick.... was very bumpy
Or last time I flew a cessna (on a lesson).... that was rather interestingly bumpy too.
More scary as I was in control (allegedly
)
Mar 10, 2008, 6:31 am
#30
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Similar experience on United (IIRC) years ago - but we were on final approach to Denver. It really did feel like someone had cut the strings.
They went around again and all was fine on the second approach; pilot's "...that was clear air turbulence or wind shear, so let's just try that again..." announcement was very cool and laid back, as one would expect, but I was in 1A and saw the momentary look of terror on the FAs' faces as we suddenly approached terra firma far more quickly than planned... The only time I've ever seen the mask slip, as it were.
I also recall flying Egyptair DAR-CAI when the unforgettable announcement came "we are just starting our emergency descent into Entebbe airport..." Until then I'd only heard of the place in a film title.
More proof, were it needed, that adrenaline is definitely brown...
They went around again and all was fine on the second approach; pilot's "...that was clear air turbulence or wind shear, so let's just try that again..." announcement was very cool and laid back, as one would expect, but I was in 1A and saw the momentary look of terror on the FAs' faces as we suddenly approached terra firma far more quickly than planned... The only time I've ever seen the mask slip, as it were.
I also recall flying Egyptair DAR-CAI when the unforgettable announcement came "we are just starting our emergency descent into Entebbe airport..." Until then I'd only heard of the place in a film title.
More proof, were it needed, that adrenaline is definitely brown...