Random Worst In-Flight Experiences Flight Attendants Described (16 items)

• (#16) The Landing Gear Wasn't Functioning Correctly

  From Redditor /u/AcaciaWildwood:

  "My sister is a FA and told me of her scariest flight.

  They were flying into an airport in California from Hawaii and during the pre-landing checks it was discovered the landing gear wasn't functioning in that it wouldn't deploy / come down. After circling the airport to burn off fuel, fire and emergency personnel were put into place at the airport and the cabin secured.

  She was sitting in the jump seat and she said there was a fellow mechanic on-board within eyesight of her. He looked her directly in the eye and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, letting her know the situation was very dire. As they were coming down to land, she and the other FAs were in their seats, yelling at the passengers at the top of their lungs 'BRACE BRACE BRACE BRACE!' while they were all in position for impact -  she said it was the one time she thought for sure she'd never see her son and husband again.

  Miraculously, the landing gear deployed at the very last moment, saving them from having to land on the belly of the plane. Once they got all the passengers off (sent them down the slides in the middle of the runway surrounded by emergency personnel racing them away from the plane) and were back at the hotel, the last thing she wanted was to get back on a plane to go back home to Hawaii.

  She called her husband - also a FA for the same airline - and told him what had happened, said the Flight Crew were being told they could either stay overnight in the hotel and fly out the next day, or fly back to the island that night on a different plane. Her husband told her she needed to get back on the plane that night or she'd never have the ability to fly with confidence again. She did as he said and this being over nine years ago, he was right: she's still a FA with the airline today."
• (#7) All In A Day's Work

  From Redditor /u/WindShears:

  "I think what scared me the most was passenger medical emergencies. Sure, we're first aid trained, but when you're in a little metal tube, hurdling thousands of miles through the air, there's only so much you can do. I think the worst I've dealt with was a heart attack, but thankfully we had a doctor on board. In fact, for nearly every medical emergency I've dealt with, there was some kind of medical personnel on board to assist. Not sure if I'm just lucky or there's a hell of a lot of doctors, nurses, and paramedics out there.

  The scariest thing that happened to me might have been hitting the ceiling during unexpected turbulence. Just to be clear, turbulence doesn't scare me while I'm strapped into my seat, but it can be a little nerve racking without a seatbelt. Thankfully, I just came out with some bumps and bruises, but I have friends who have gotten serious spinal and/or head injuries from similar situations.

  Other than those, I've had bird strikes, lightning strikes, hydraulic leaks, landing gear issues, engine failures, aborted take-offs, missed approaches, smoke in the cabin, passenger disturbances, and I'm sure many more things that I can't remember at the moment. But it's all in a days work."
• (#6) Vomit Everywhere

  Official NOAA aircraft report amid high winds: "PRETTY MUCH EVERY ONE ON THE PLANE THREW UP" pic.twitter.com/cd83EL6atf

  — Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) March 2, 2018

   

  A nor'easter whipped through the East Coast on early March 2018, leading to lots of canceled flights. But one United flight braved the trip into Washington Dulles International Airport – at a cost.

  According to reports from the plane, almost everyone – including the pilots – threw up due to the intense turbulence. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
• (#2) Grandma Was Dead The Whole Time

  From Redditor /u/That_Bass_Guy:

  "My mother was a flight attendant for 26 years, and the strangest thing that happened to her (besides the frequent 'sir, please, you have to stop masturbating') was an elderly woman who got rolled on the plane with her granddaughters (in their 20s).

  My mom immediately noticed something was off, as people in wheel chairs need to be taken on to the plane ahead of time. The granddaughters would not leave her, not so weird, but the grandma was asleep so she couldn't answer questions. Eventually, they try get her on the plane, with much convincing from the daughters. Turns out, halfway through the flight, they discover the woman is dead. When the plane landed everyone got interrogated to make sure she died 'naturally,' and it turned out the granddaughters knew the whole time and we're just trying to get her to America cause moving dead bodies internationally is difficult. They almost got away with it if it wasn't for those meddling flight attendants."
• (#1) Broken Nose Over An Armrest

  From Redditor /u/waterbadger:

  "I am a flight attendant for AA. A few months ago, two men sitting next to each other started getting very physical over the arm rest. It escalated quickly and one guy ended up having his nose broken. As if this weren't stressful enough, there was a pregnant women near them that obviously was in danger of a stray punch. On the street, you can just walk away, but its quite terrifying when everyone looks at you to sort it out!"
• (#12) Flew Too Close To A Volcano

  From Redditor /u/sketchmirrors:

  "My dad is a pilot, and he told me of a pretty terrifying experience he once had on a flight back in the '90s.

  Basically he was flying a plane over the Philippines, and due to inaccurate warning systems had to fly very close to an ash cloud from a volcano. The ash got into the engine propellers and solidified, causing one of the engines to break down. Despite horrible visibility and a very real threat of volcanic debris, Dad still managed to fly onwards and landed the plane safely. After he landed, he said that the entire plane had turned a blackish-grey color due to the ash."

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