American Airlines plane at airport — Courtesy: Shutterstock — GagliardiPhotography
Flight logs show that a Florida-bound American Airlines aircraft fell nearly 15,000 feet in under three minutes.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration told FOX 35 that American Airlines Flight 5916 reported a potential pressurization issue on Thursday as it was its route from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Gainesville, Florida.
Just before 5 o’clock, the aircraft made another landing at Gainesville Regional Airport.
Harrison Hove, a professor at the University of Florida, one of the passengers, posted on social media that the situation was “terrifying.”
“I’ve flown a lot. This was scary,” Hove said. “Kudos to our amazing flight crew-cabin staff and pilots on American Air 5916.
The ear pops, loud blasts, and burning stench are not visible in the photographs.
According to FlightAware data, the jet descended nearly 20,000 feet in just 11 minutes.
The aircraft descended 18,600 feet in just six minutes after 43 minutes of flying.
“Something failed midflight and depressurized the cabin,” Hove wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“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 ok.”
An American Airlines official informed FOX Business in a statement that a pressurization problem was the cause of the abrupt drop in altitude.
“American Eagle flight 5916, operated by Piedmont Airlines, from Charlotte (CLT) to Gainesville, Florida (GNV) landed safely in GNV on Thursday, August 10. While in flight, the crew received an indication of a possible pressurization issue and immediately and safely descended to a lower altitude. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience and thank our team for their professionalism,” the spokesperson said.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
