A passenger on a Delta flight out of Salt Lake City in July that hit violent turbulence said a recent report from the National Transportation Safety Board makes her feel “justified” in fearing for her life.
The report, Lynda Snyder said, corroborated that the turbulence “went on for quite some time. … It wasn’t a less-than-30-second deal, the way some of the initial news articles [said]."
Snyder was headed to Amsterdam on July 30, with her sister, Sherry Hymas, and their mom, Sharon McKinley. When the plane was thrown about by turbulence, she said she remembers screams throughout the cabin. But after the horrifying experience, she said she has seen articles and reports downplaying what happened before the flight was diverted to Minneapolis.
Information in the NTSB preliminary report — released last week — backs up her account, she said.
Before take-off, the flight crew of the Airbus 330-941 discussed potential weather concerns in their path while they ascended, according to the report.
In the air, just before the flight took a gut-wrenching turn, the report says the flight crew saw weather in their path and asked air traffic controllers if they could shift their route to the right. When controllers recommended they instead veer left, the report says the flight crew thought it would keep them above the clouds and safe from the weather.
The plane took the turn, the report says, and “encountered an overspeed event,” meaning the plane exceeded its maximum operating speed by roughly 15-to-20 knots.
The plane shot up 3,000 feet in 20 seconds, the report says, before the turbulence shoved it back down 2,500 feet. The rapid ascent and descent cycle happened about three times, the report says, all the while the plane was maneuvered into unanticipated angles, its left wing at one point facing the ground at 40 degrees. The upset lasted roughly 2½ minutes, according to the report.
“You had time to think about the fact that this turbulence isn’t normal,” Snyder said.
Snyder said she turned to her mom and sister during the pauses between violent jerks of the aircraft, hoping it was over.
In the chaos, passengers experienced almost double the force of gravity, according to the report, and half the force of gravity pushing them up.
The first officer flying the plane worked to recover from the sudden altitude shifts and re-engaged the autopilot, according to the report.
After things smoothed out, Snyder said the pilot apologized to the passengers and said they had no warning.
Before making the turn, the report says the flight crew checked their weather radar, “noting that the only returns of concern were 40-50 miles away.”
At the time of the intense turbulence, there were warnings of thunderstorms in the area, according to the report.
“I know that there was some screams, but what was more terrifying to me was how quiet it got,” she said about the flight following the turbulence. “Nobody made a sound, nobody moved.”
Her mother, she said, kept praying: “I think I’m going to die, so Lord, if I’m going to die, make it fast.”
A physician assistant who was a passenger on the plane and the flight’s relief first officer assessed those who had been hurt, according to the report, and the flight crew decided to divert to Minneapolis to avoid more bad weather.
Out of the 24 people evaluated by medical personnel after landing, the report says seven were injured, two of them seriously.
Snyder said she and her relatives made it through their trip, eventually arriving in Athens for their cruise.
She said she felt fine until they approached Salt Lake City on their way home. That’s when the experience really set in.
“We had that happen to us, and I just lost it,” she said. “I just started bawling and bawling and bawling.”