Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@wickedwiill/ABC News
Topics: Travel, World News
Lucy Devine
A man who was travelling on a Spirit Airlines flight that almost made an emergency landing in the sea has revealed what it was like.
Flying can be pretty daunting even for the most seasoned of travellers - especially with all the recent headlines about onboard emergencies.
Just last week, one person died and others were left injured after a Singapore Airlines flight experienced devastating turbulence.
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And in the most recent mid-air catastrophe, one Spirit Airlines flight almost landed in the ocean just minutes after taking off from Montego Bay in Jamaica, en route to Florida.
Ever since the incident, passengers have been sharing the terrifying reality of what it was actually like.
Posting a video on TikTok, one passenger described it as 'the scariest flight ever'.
The clip begins with an out-the-window shot of the plane taking off, shortly before chaos ensues in the cabin.
One woman can be seen in tears as the passengers sit in their life jackets waiting to land in the sea.
Bettina Rogers explained they were initially told they would be making an emergency landing.
“Five minutes later, it was ‘flight attendants, prepare for emergency landing,’ so they got ready,’” she told USA Today.
“Another five minutes went by and he said, ‘Flight attendants prepare for emergency water landing.’ That’s when the whole plane went frantic.”
Another TikTok user who was also on the plane revealed exactly what happened, explaining what to expect if you hear the same announcement.
Will - who goes by @wickedwill - said he initially thought there was something amiss after noticing the plane was still quite low even after five minutes of being in the air.
"All of a sudden we hear the pilot announce... he's like okay we need to go back to the airport because something is wrong," Will explained.
"At this point I put my phone up, I was like if something goes down I need to be alert. I'm getting an uneasy feeling.
"After he slowly turned around, he makes another announcement... that announcement is that we have to make an emergency water landing.
"When I tell you, everything in me dropped to my foot, my heart is in my a** at this point.
"Emergency water landing... everyone freaked out... I'm crying... I literally thought I was going to die."
Will claimed he was trying to pull his life jacket out when he accidentally broke it.
Thankfully, the flight didn't end up landing in the water and was able to return to the airport safely.
The airline has since apologized 'for any inconvenience'.
In a statement, Spirit Airlines said: "Spirit Airlines flight 270 (MBJ-FLL) returned to Montego Bay (MBJ) on May 26 out of an abundance of caution following a suspected mechanical issue.
"The plane landed safely at MBJ and taxied to the terminal where guests deplaned under normal procedures.
"Safety is our top priority, and the aircraft will be thoroughly evaluated by our maintenance team. We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience, and we arranged a new aircraft to complete the flight to Fort Lauderdale (FLL)."