World News

Air Asia Flight Safely Lands After Experiencing Violent Shaking

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Tony Maples Photography

 

On Sunday, an Air Asia Airbus A330-300 flying from Perth, Australia to Malaysia experienced a horrifying ordeal. Due to an “engine seizure,” the plane began shaking back and forth violently like a washing machine. The pilot quickly rerouted back to Perth, but everyone was still in for a long, jarring ride.

“We were asleep and heard a loud bang around the 1-hour-and-15-minute mark. It shook for the whole ride back, close on two hours,” passenger Damien Stevens told CNN. Others said that the pilot asked the flyers to pray twice, and in a video on Instagram, he is heard asking for the full attention of the passengers for the duration of the flight. “Our survival depends on you co-operating,” he said.

The pilot told the passengers to assume a brace position for the landing, and thankfully, ABC 13 reports that all 259 people on board of the disturbing flight landed safe and sound back in Perth. They even said that despite the extreme vibrations, the landing was smooth.

Reports say that the engine was a Rolls-Royce Trent 700, and it’s the third time in the past three months that issues have been reported with this particular engine. According to Rolls Royce spokesperson, they are “aware of the incident and will be working closely with relevant partners to understand the cause of the issue.”