Passengers on a Florida-bound flight were left terrified on Sunday when they were instructed to don life vests for a potential “emergency water landing” due to a suspected mechanical issue.
The incident occurred on Spirit Airlines flight 270, which was traveling from Montego Bay to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
A Spirit spokesperson said that the plane experienced a suspected mechanical issue and returned to Montego Bay, Jamaica, “out of an abundance of caution.” Despite this precaution, the passengers found the ordeal harrowing.
Cellphone footage shows passengers wearing yellow life vests and gripping their seats, followed by a collective gasp.
Passengers had been in the air for about 10 minutes when the pilot informed the over 200 people on board to put on life vests and prepare for a water landing.
“He told us exactly that we needed to make an emergency water landing and at that point, fear ran through my bones. Everyone on the plane panicked,” passenger Will Smith. “When I looked out of the window, all I saw was blue, so I’m thinking this is real. We’re about to go in the ocean. I’m saying my prayers to die at this point, seriously. It was that traumatizing. I thought I was not going to make it.”
Shancy Faison, who was traveling with her husband, recounted a moment of panic when her life vest wouldn’t open.
“They didn’t specify what was wrong,” she said. “We were making a U-turn back to the island, to the airport. Then, about 10 to 15 minutes before landing, the pilot announced that we were going to have an emergency water landing. That’s when everyone freaked out. It was chaotic. People started grabbing their emergency vests from under their seats. The flight attendants were running back and forth. Some were saying to put on our vests, some were saying not to. I then reached under my seat to retrieve my life vest, but the case wouldn’t open.”
Despite the chaos, the plane landed safely, and the passengers were able to deplane without injuries.
“Safety is our top priority, and the aircraft will be thoroughly evaluated by our maintenance team,” Spirit said in a statement. “We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience, and we arranged a new aircraft to complete the flight to Fort Lauderdale.”
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