Fortunately, this story has a happy ending but it must have been terrifying in the moment. According to the South China Morning Post, a Japan Airlines Boeing 737-800 “started plummeting violently at around 7pm and dropped to 3,000 meters in just 20 minutes.”
TMZ shared a video with the caption: “TERRIFYING video shows passengers on a Japan Airlines flight writing goodbye notes as a sudden mechanical issue sent the plane into a steep panic-inducing descent. 😳👀”
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Flight JL8696 was flying from Shanghai to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport but had to divert to Kansai Airport in Osaka where it landed safely Monday night around 8:50pm local time.
There were 191 passengers and crew on board and thankfully no one was hurt. The Japanese government said the pilots contacted air traffic controllers after an alert signaled a problem with the pressurization system that maintains cabin air pressure.
One shaken passenger posted on social media: “My body is still here but my soul hasn’t caught up. My legs are still shaking. When you face life or death everything else feels trivial.”
The flight was a codeshare with Spring Airlines Japan. After complaints, the budget airline reportedly offered each passenger just 15,000 yen (about $104 USD), which many say is far too little given the experience.
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This sounds like the plane descended to a safe altitude after losing pressure. This maneuver is the standard method in such a case. If the aircraft does not descend fast passengers and crew could die due to lack of oxygen. Yes, it is terrifying but at least you survive.