 "Dreamliner battling nightmares: Shanghai-Tokyo flight sinks 26,000 feet, passengers say heard a ‘boom’")
A Japan Airlines Boeing 737 suffered a terrifying mid-air emergency on Monday (July 1), suddenly plunging nearly 26,000 feet after a mechanical problem.
Flight JL8696 was travelling from Shanghai Pudong Airport in China to Narita International Airport in Tokyo when, around 6:53 pm local time, the plane experienced a rapid loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft dropped from 36,000 feet to just over 10,000 feet in under ten minutes.
Passengers described hearing a loud boom before oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling. Flight attendants urgently shouted for everyone to put them on. Some passengers, who had been sleeping, woke up gasping for air.
One passenger told The People, “I heard a muffled boom, and the oxygen mask fell off in a few seconds. The stewardess cried and shouted to put on the oxygen mask, saying the plane had a malfunction.”
Another said some people were so frightened they began writing wills and farewell messages, fearing they might not survive.
Videos from inside the plane show panicked passengers wearing oxygen masks, some clasping their hands or trying to stay calm, while a flight attendant can be heard instructing everyone to follow safety procedures.
The captain declared an emergency and diverted the plane to Kansai International Airport in Osaka, where it landed safely at 8:50 pm local time. All 191 people on board, including crew, were unharmed but deeply shaken.
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism confirmed the incident and said an investigation is underway to determine what went wrong with the plane’s pressurisation system.
Japan Airlines offered passengers ¥15,000 (about $93) and hotel accommodations for the night.
The scare comes amid heightened concerns over Boeing aircraft after an unrelated crash involving an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad recently killed 241 people.
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