On a recent flight from Sydney to Auckland, passengers experienced a scary moment when their plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, suddenly dropped around 100m in altitude.
This unexpected event led to about 50 people needing medical attention after being tossed around inside the cabin.
During this brief but alarming incident, passengers recounted how items and even people, including a very young baby, were thrown into the air. This sudden drop happened so quickly that there wasn’t even time for the flight crew to make an announcement or apology, partly because some of the crew members were among the injured.
Despite the chaos, the flight eventually continued smoothly, but the memory of those intense few seconds left a lasting impression on everyone on board. The sensation was compared to the sudden drop you feel on a rollercoaster, leaving passengers in shock and many injured.
Aviation experts have been trying to figure out what caused this frightening experience. Edward Hunkin, a retired pilot with a background in both the Air Force and commercial aviation, shared his insights, suggesting that a technical problem might be the most likely explanation. He ruled out clear air turbulence, as there were no weather reports indicating such conditions, and other planes on the same route didn’t report any issues.
Hunkin also mentioned that pilot error seemed unlikely, especially since there was a report of power loss to the cockpit displays, which wouldn’t typically result from a pilot’s mistake.
