A Japan Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight from Shanghai, China to Tokyo, Japan, plunged nearly 26,000 feet in 10 minutes following a mid-air mechanical issue, resulting in the oxygen masks being deployed and passengers being fearful for their lives.
No injuries were reported among the 191 passengers and crew as the flight made an emergency landing in Osaka, Japan, though some described the experience as traumatic.
The rapid descent began with a boom and a scramble for oxygen
According to multiple passengers, the situation on Flight JL8696, operated by Spring Airlines Japan, turned dire without warning.
The flight’s pilots reportedly contacted air traffic controllers when the aircraft triggered an alert about an irregularity in the plane’s pressurization system, according to the South China Morning Post.
Image credits: ifenglobal
The aircraft descended rapidly, dropping from a cruising altitude to just over 10,000 feet within 10 minutes. The plunge caused the oxygen masks in the cabin to deploy.
“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,” one passenger told The Associated Press.
“Suddenly, all the oxygen masks popped open while I was sleeping,” another passenger stated.
Image credits: ifenglobal
Footage taken inside the cabin depicted passengers clutching their masks, some frozen in silence and others visibly stressed.
While the flight itself carried a Japan Airlines code, the aircraft and its crew were from Spring Airlines Japan, a low-cost carrier, according to People.
Some passengers tried to say goodbye in case they didn’t make it
The fear that swept through the plane was a moment of reckoning for some passengers. One traveler admitted they were “on the verge of tears” as they hurriedly penned their will and personal bank and insurance information as the plane descended.
Fortunately, the pilots were able to land the plane safely at Kansai International Airport in Osaka at 8:50 p.m. local time. Social media lit up with posts from some of the flight’s passengers.
“My body is still here, but my soul hasn’t caught up. My legs are still shaking. When you face life or d*ath, everything else feels trivial,” one passenger wrote.
Another passenger described the descent as “violent,” “extreme, and “abrupt.” “The plane started plummeting violently at around 7 p.m. and dropped to 3,000 meters in just 20 minutes,” the passenger stated.
Passengers’ frustration grew after landing, partly due to shockingly low compensation from the airline
Japan’s Ministry of Transport has confirmed that there were no injuries among the 191 passengers and crew.
But the passengers’ ordeal didn’t end there. Travelers were kept on board for more than an hour after landing.
Several posted to social media while still stuck on the plane, sharing images of the dangling oxygen masks in the cabin.
Spring Airlines Japan later offered compensation of 15,000 yen (about $93-$104 USD) to each passenger, as well as one night of accommodation.
The amount was shockingly low, but that’s not all. The reimbursement was not automatic, so passengers still needed to contact the airline to receive their compensation.
The airline’s compensation received a lot of flak from netizens online.
“What a ridiculous sum as compensation for the fear and trauma of an almost tragedy. I would have thrown it in their faces,” one commenter wrote.
“I honestly can’t imagine how horrifying this experience was. $93 seems like a slap in the face to be honest,” another wrote.
“That’s an embarrassing amount of money. Sorry for the trauma. Here’s $93,” an X user stated.
The Boeing 737-800 has been involved in several incidents
The plane involved in the incident was a Boeing 737-800, a model tied to several serious crashes in recent years.
In 2022, a China Eastern Airlines 737-800 crashed in southern China, k*lling all 132 onboard.
More recently, a Jeju Air flight of the same model crashed during landing in South Korea. There were only two survivors out of the 181 onboard.
Japan Airlines’ own record also came under scrutiny.
Just last year, one of its Airbus A350s collided with a coast guard aircraft on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, resulting in multiple casualties.
Netizens expressed shock and outrage at the airline’s insultingly low compensation for the flight’s passengers
