Ok, maybe not exactly ... On Oct 11 I flew on AA 1423 from ORD to SFO and experienced the most severe turbulence to that point. Approximately one hour into the flight, turbulence shook our MD-80 for anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes, causing our plane to free fall over a dozen times (I wasn't counting), only to be caught by the aged and rigid wings of a 20+ year old aircraft. I could hear the metal of the wings work in desperation as just enough air would catch under them to keep the plane in the air. The engines sounded like they were on full throttle as the plane seemed to be flying partially on its right side. The cabin was completely silent - not a whisper, not a scream (with the exception of soda cans flying through the coach cabin). As quickly as the turbulence appeared, it suddenly vanished.

I'm sure the turbulence wasn't as bad as I described above, but unfortunately that's how I remember it. Perhaps this incident doesn't deserve to be classified as "seconds from disaster" (as planes don't go down as a result of turbulence), but it does hit an interesting topic which doesn't seem to be covered on FT. As such, I was hoping people could use this thread to discuss their frightening in-air experiences - anything from engine failures to severe turbulence to unruly passengers.

Pilots announcing that they are declaring an emergency and diverting get my attention. Happened to me twice. Once a generator went out taking all the lights with it (and apparently a lot of instruments) and once when the cabin didnt pressurize as we were approaching 10,000 feet. Getting hit by lightening a bit after takeoff while still in steep climb was also attention getting. The worst though wasnt in our plane.

I had landed in DFW and was connecting and as I was walking through the airport I kept noticing the bars were packed with people standing around the TVs. I had some time so I stopped and started watching. There was a news story about a plane crash that had just happened. I asked the guy next to me where it happened. He looked at me and didnt say anything for a couple seconds and then said "Here". When my connection took off I could see the still burning debris off one of the other runways. It was the DL flight that went down due to a microburst while landing.

Man... that's a pretty scary situation to be in. I get nervous with bad turbulence, but then I try to think about it logically and usually that calms me. Strangely, the one time my flight was diverted (some sort of antenna was malfunctioning), it didn't bother me at all (rather, I was thinking, cool, I get to go to Gander, Newfoundland).

I guess I could be classified as mildly insane, but I usually really enjoy a good amount of turbulence. I may be in the minority, but a good jostling mid flight does not scare me at all. I particularly like it when the plane drops down then recovers, that feeling of weightlessness is quite fun. I honestly would be perfectly fine if the the plane shook and dropped for the entire duration of my flight.. I would probably sleep like a baby.

Luckybills, I am sure that your ride was anything but comfortable and I can quite imagine having white knuckles myself from grabbing my seat.

I have to compliment you on your description though. It really had me chuckling. I thought this sentence was particularly good:

I could hear the metal of the wings work in desperation as just enough air would catch under them to keep the plane in the air.

You really should try and get a job with a newspaper. With your thread title and the description it was far more entertaining than anything I have read in a newspaper....

The most frightening thing that I have had happen was on a flight from Cozumel. It was on a charter. It was an all inclusive vacation that included flight on MD-83( I think). When we took off the tail off the plane hit a sand bar at the end of the runway(Due to the plane being overweight). All of the panels on the roof dropped down and some of the oxygen masks. This revealed insulation on the ceiling of the plane.Then they came over the radio and said that they had a mechanic on board. This guy start lifting up floor panels. Meanwhile we were only a couple of hundred feet in the air looking out one wing at the ocean and the other at the sky. Everyone on the plane was silent.It was hard for the pilot to horizontally stabilize the plane. We then came over a jungle and we were looking at the tree tops. They then dumped fuel into the jungle and some how emergency landed in Cancun. People stumbled off the plane and were throwing up everywhere.

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I don't do charters.

What's funny about my scariest moment is that I can't even remember where I was flying or on what airline. I just remember I was sitting next to a uniformed pilot in coach who was apparently getting a lift. He was a really nice guy and we chatted quite a bit. Suddenly we hit some pretty rough turbulence. I'm not good with turbulence at all, but when I noticed the pilot not even flinching from reading his paper, I relaxed a little. The turbulence continued, however, and started getting a lot worse. I noted in another thread about seeing a FA get levitated off her feet briefly and then slammed in to the floor when we suddenly lost altitude. This was that flight. The pilot sitting next to me suddenly dropped his paper and I distinctly heard him mutter, "What the hell is going on" as he looked up towards the cockpit and then looked out the window at the wing. He acted like he was going to get up and go to the cockpit when things started leveling out. It was during these moments I thought for sure I was going to die. I figured if it was bad enough to startle on off-duty pilot, we were in trouble.

I enjoyed a wingstrike a few years ago on a horribly windy day - just a grumbling sound for a fraction of a second and it was all over. And again, silence on board.

I aways reckoned bad stuff was accompanied by screams. Not always by the look of the other experiences.

I'm totally with you. I always hope for turbulence, as it puts me to sleep (maybe that's some rocking-baby type thing left over from childhood). Most travel companions hate me for that.

Worst 'scare' for me was emergency landing in CLE (on an ORD-EWR CO flight) due to a fire in the cockpit. We went down fast and the fire trucks chased our plane down the runway. Turned out to be fine but I was a bit nervous as my two cats were travelling in the belly of the plane too!

As a sailplane pilot, I equate turbulence with lift, and lift means good flight. I really enjoy the bumpy flights, and have not had one yet that has concerned me.

The really good sailplanes are made of fiberglass, which will allow the wing to flex an incredible amount. It is a sight the first time you bank into a tight thermal, and
have the tip of the lower wing almost horizontal, and the upper tip almost vertical.

Actually, while it was entertaining (if a bit florid) reading, I'd have to disagree about sending the OP off to find a job with a newspaper. Journalism is about accuracy and clarity, and this was rather exaggerated.

Well, it's perfect for today's "journalism"

I was certain on an HP flight on a very hot and windy day in LAS that we were going to have a wingstrike - sitting in the exit row and looking at the ground / wing, I still don't know how it was averted. That was a silence moment.

There was the emergency landing ("unscheduled maintenance stop" according to the pilot) in MCI on a TWA (during AA changeover) in 2001 due to a fire in an engine on an MD-80. There was some talk among PAX during this event.

Not my experience and this was a cargo flight, but imagine what you would be thinking as a PAX looking out the window here:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nippo...SCD/0223248/M/

Apparently, the pilots managed to pull this landing off with blown tires and damage to the No 4 engine pod.

That is really a scary and frighting situation. Anyway the description you give of what happen is exactly what can increase the fear of flying in people. A key to fight the fear of flying is knowledge and especial when it comes to turbulences most people lack the knowledge. Somehow in the popular media it always sounds like that there are mysterious pockets or regions with no air or less air which causes planes to fall. That is just wrong.

Turbulence are created by the fast often very chaotic and unpredictable movement of air. The movement is caused by temperature differences of the air. If you enter such an area with a plane you will get moved around like a ship on a stormy sea. Like in the case of a ship the engines of the plane have to be powered up to keep the plane maneuverable and to hold course and altitude. But again the reason for the instability is not because the plane entered some kind of air-less pocket. Ever tried to maneuver a boat that had no kind of power of its own (doesn't matter if the boat is power by paddles, sails or an engine)? It is impossible. In case of a plane it is somewhat similar (even so it is possible to glide a plane and still maneuver it to some extend).