SRINAGAR: A month after an Air India passenger plane crashed in Ahmedabad killing 260 people, a Srinagar-bound SpiceJet flight from Delhi witnessed a sudden free fall near Banihal Pass on Saturday, causing panic among the passengers travelling in the plane.
Arjumand Talib Hussain, a passenger on SpiceJet flight SG-385 from Delhi–Srinagar shared a video claiming the aircraft went into a free fall of several hundred meters over Banihal Pass.
In the 29 second video, which has gone viral on social media, cries of some passengers travelling in the flight can be heard.
The passengers can be seen holding aircraft seats tightly while one of the flight attendants can be seen crawling inside the flight with the captain making announcements that “everyone please fasten your seat belts”.
In the post on X, the passenger Arjumand Hussain said, “All my life, I have travelled in all sorts of weathers, across the globe, in hundreds of flights, but have never experienced something like this”.
“G-385 Delhi-Srinagar Spicejet flight's precarious moments yesterday. The plane dropped several hundred meters in free fall over the Banihal Pass. It felt like the end of life for everyone. It was not a normal turbulence. I have experienced all sorts of those,” he said.
“I managed to capture only the final few moments of the mayhem, with a crew member having tossed in the cabin. Worst part was all window shields were directed to be closed a few moments back, and no one had any clue what was happening,” Arjumand said.
“Is it new a normal to fly right into storms or something has changed about climate? Why was seat belt warning made once the mayhem was over? Where are early weather warnings and evasive actions? Who would answer,” he questioned.
SpiceJet has not yet responded to the claims made by the passenger on the flight.
The incident has taken place nearly a month after a London-bound Air India passenger plane crashed in Ahmedabad killing 260 people.
It is further bound to increase calls for enhanced security in the passenger aircrafts to ensure safety of the passenger.
An updated version of the story can be read here.