It was one of those panic-stricken episodes of pure terror for jet passengers of American Airlines. A little while after Flight 5916 took off from Charlotte, North Carolina, headed for Gainesville, Florida, a mechanical malfunction caused a loss of cabin pressure. The pilot had to get the plane down to somewhere with breathable air, fast. The roller-coaster ride scared the crap out of passengers. Making it worse was the smell of smoke in the air.
Jet passengers scared but safe
Frequent jet fliers are definitely not accustomed to altitude drops of “over 15,000 feet in a matter of three minutes.”
The plane was falling from the sky faster than the oxygen masks dropping from the bulkhead. It fell a lot further than that before it leveled out but that was the steepest slope.
Everything was normal on Thursday, August 10, for passengers of American Airlines Flight 5916. Everything was routine after takeoff until they heard a bang.
I’ve flown a lot. This was scary. Kudos to our amazing flight crew- cabin staff and pilots on @AmericanAir 5916. The photos cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops. Good to be on the ground. #AA5916 #CLT #GNV pic.twitter.com/P8pPrvOQDQ
— Harrison Hove (@HarrisonHove) August 10, 2023
Things moved fast after that and nobody heard one of those “this is your captain speaking” messages from the jet crew until the wildest part of the ride was over. According to the FAA, “the plane reported a possible pressurization issue.”
After all the excitement, the jet taxied up to the gate at Gainesville Regional Airport, just before 5 p.m., pretty much on schedule. As University of Florida Professor Harrison Hove declared as soon as he got off the flight, the incident was “terrifying.” He should know, he’s an expert.
“I’ve flown a lot. This was scary. Kudos to our amazing flight crew-cabin staff and pilots on American Air 5916.”
Photos don’t show the screams
Professor Hove snapped some images once the plane was flying level again. Even so, photos, the passenger relates, “cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops.”
As revealed by publicly available data on FlightAware, the jet “dropped almost 20,000 feet within an 11-minute span.”
The airline notes that “oxygen masks were dropped from the overhead due to the rapid loss” in pressure. They confirm that “43 minutes into the flight, the plane dropped 18,600 feet within a matter of six minutes.” All passengers aboard the jet, including Professor Hove, were told is that “something failed midflight and depressurized the cabin.”
On August 10, an Embraer 145 for #AmericanAirlines dropped nearly 15,000 ft in about 3 mins from FL300, according to data from FlightAware. Over the next few minutes, it descended roughly another 4,000 ft. The Flight 5916 was from #Charlotte to #Gainesville, FL. #avgeeks
????ax pic.twitter.com/zNWEW0qBA3— ????????alsaeed???????? (@alimsaeed604) August 15, 2023
They later learned that “the burning smell can apparently be attributed to using the oxygen canisters. The wing flaps came out to immediately lower our altitude so there would be more oxygen. It was terrifying but turned out okay.”
The official statement put out by American adds that the flight was one of their “American Eagle” commuter flights, “operated by Piedmont Airlines.” While in flight, they write, the jet crew “received an indication of a possible pressurization issue and immediately and safely descended to a lower altitude.”
Getting fresh air was more important than comfort and they “apologize to our customers for any inconvenience and thank our team for their professionalism.” That’s exactly why they tell you to keep your belt fastened securely, even when the little light says things are fine to take them off.
