Couple recount horror aboard United Airlines plane that took a nosedive

A couple aboard a United Airlines flight that took a terrifying plunge said they “were praying” as the plane came close to hitting the Pacific Ocean.

A passenger aboard a United Airlines flight that took a terrifying plunge near Hawaii described how the ordeal felt like a “roller coaster” – and said he and his wife “were praying for a miracle” as the plane came to within 240m of the Pacific Ocean.

Rod Williams II, his wife and two kids – a 10-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son – were sitting near the back of the Boeing 777, which took off from Kahului Airport in Maui on December 18, New York Post reports.

“It felt like you were climbing to the top of a roller coaster. It was at that point,” Mr Williams, of Ohio, US, told CNN about how the plane climbed at “a concerning rate” for a few seconds.

“There were a number of screams on the plane. Everybody knew that something was out of the ordinary, or at least that this was not normal,” he said.

About a minute into its flight to San Francisco, the plane took a “dramatic, nose-down” dive for several seconds, Mr Williams told the network.

Rod Williams, his wife and two kids were sitting near the back of the plane on the terrifying flight. Picture: Facebook/Rod Williams II

“When the plane started to nosedive, multiple screams are being let out, at that point. You’re trying your best to maintain your composure – there’s obviously kids on the flight. Nobody really knows what’s going on, but at the same time, you’re concerned,” he said.

“You don’t know if this is an issue, but it was certainly out of the ordinary.

He and his wife glanced at each other as they sat on either side of their kids during the white-knuckle descent.

“It’s tense. You don’t really have a chance to speak or to conjure up words; you’re just kind of gripping the seat and praying under your breath,” he said.

“I asked her later and sure enough … we were praying for a miracle, because we felt like this could be it,” he said.

The plane took a nosedive about a minute into its flight to San Francisco.

After the roughly 10-second plunge, the aircraft climbed steeply again and resumed normal flight as flight attendants comforted some of the passengers.

“Someone from the cockpit got on the intercom and said, ‘All right, folks, you probably felt a couple G’s on that one, but everything’s gonna be OK. We’re gonna be all right,’” Mr Williams, who studied aviation, said.

No one was injured during the incident, which had not been publicised until The Air Current reported about it, citing data from FlightRadar24.

The United plane came within 240m of the Pacific Ocean. Picture: FlightRadar24

It was found the plane reached about 2200 feet (670m) before a steep dive descending at a rate of 8600 feet (2621m) per minute, falling to 775 feet (236m). The aircraft then climbed back up and flew to California as planned.

On Monday, a United spokesperson told The Post that the crew “filed the appropriate safety report” after the plane’s landing in San Francisco.

“United then closely co-ordinated with the FAA and ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association) on an investigation that ultimately resulted in the pilots receiving additional training. Safety remains our highest priority,” the spokesperson said.

“The pilots fully co-operated with the investigation and their training is ongoing,” he said, adding that the two pilots had about 25,000 hours of combined flying time.

Mr Williams said he was unaware how close the plane came to the ocean until Sunday night, when his dad showed him the report on the incident.

“Now that I know, statistically what had happened, and that we were about five to 5.2 seconds from hitting the water, you know, I’m definitely counting my blessings,” he told CNN.

He also praised the pilots for their “amazing, amazing recovery efforts”.

This story originally appeared on New York Post and is republished here with permission