Terrified Irish passengers have revealed their horror after eight people were hospitalized when a flight to Dublin from Doha hit extreme turbulence at 30,000 feet on Sunday. The force of the frightening plane plunge was so strong that the backside of one passenger’s shorts had a large hole ripped in them, while a number of the crew were injured after hitting the roof of the aircraft.
Passengers, some of whom were eating a meal when the turbulence hit, said the food was sent flying all across the plane, with one woman stating: “I thought it was the end of my life”. Up to eight passengers and crew members reported injuries after the QR017
Qatar Airways flight they were traveling on from Doha to Dublin experienced turbulence while flying over Turkey. Horrified Irish passengers on the flight revealed how they felt the plane dropping for “about five seconds” around four hours into the journey, with one detailing that “a poor flight attendant went up into the air and food went everywhere.”
The frightening incident comes just a few days after a British man died of a heart attack and dozens more passengers, including two Irish, were hospitalized after a Singapore Airlines flight from London hit extreme turbulence near Thailand. Speaking at Dublin Airport after the flight from Doha arrived yesterday, couple Emma and Conor, who were aboard the flight, said there was “panic everywhere” after the incident occurred.
Emma told RTE: “The plane fell. And then it was seatbelts on. Some of the flight attendants had scratches on their faces, one lady had ice up to her face. There was one girl that had a sling on her arm.”
Another passenger, Cathal, said that the seatbelt signs were off when the plane dropped and that his dinner came off his lap and there was “food all over the plane, on the ceiling, everywhere”. While the young man was lucky to escape without any injuries, he unfortunately ripped the backside of his shorts.
As he showed the large hole to the camera he said: “It was atrocious, never again”. Passenger Paul Mocc described people hitting the roof, with food and drink going everywhere.
He said he saw crew members limping around afterward with bandages on but he said, they did a really good job of continuing the flight service. He said he saw one passenger on oxygen who appeared to have back injuries who was put lying down. Another passenger, Eileen, who was aboard the flight with her husband, said she was so relieved that they made it home OK. She said: “It was very scary. It was the worst experience, honestly, on an airplane, and I’ve been flying back and forth for years. It was really scary.”
Eileen added: “I am not in a hurry to get back on a plane I can tell you!” Flying back from Perth in Australia, one man said; “I had to grab the seat in front, I had to put my seatbelt on.” He said food and drink went everywhere and described the plane as a mess afterward.”
Another passenger, Myla, said she thought it was “the end of her life”. She said the plane went up and down, that she has experienced turbulence before on a flight but that this was the worst.
All passengers on the aircraft were assessed for injury before disembarking the aircraft. While 12 people reported injuries, eight were taken to hospital for further examination.
The HSE confirmed that the National Ambulance Service (NAS) received a pre-alert to attend Dublin Airport and was on site facilitating and supporting the disembarkment of passengers. However, it said it cannot comment on individual cases.
A spokesperson for Qatar Airways said the matter is now subject to an internal investigation, adding: “The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority.”
At 3 pm yesterday, spokesperson for the daa Graeme McQueen said: “The Dublin Airport team continues to provide full assistance on the ground to passengers and airline staff. The return flight to Doha (flight QR018) is scheduled to operate as normal this afternoon, albeit with a delay. Flight operations at Dublin Airport were unaffected and continue as normal this afternoon.”
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A Garda spokesperson confirmed that emergency services were alerted and attended “a medical emergency” on board the flight which landed at Dublin Airport yesterday afternoon.
The incident comes five days after a 73-year-old man died and dozens of people were injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence while flying over Myanmar.
The Boeing 777 plane plunged 6,000ft in a matter of seconds, and Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen died of a suspected heart attack following the extreme and sudden drop.
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