Omagh man recalls turbulence terror on flight to Dublin

WHEN food flew from the tray tables and an air hostess catapulted towards the ceiling, Aaron Akien thought he would never see his family again.

Earlier this week, the local 23-year-old was one of a cabin-load of passengers aboard a ‘nightmare flight’ from Doha to Dublin that unexpectedly hit severe turbulence, causing the plane to rapidly lose altitude.

As the Qatar Airways pilot fought to regain equilibrium, those who were not buckled into their seats were thrown around the aisles, leaving at least twelve passengers injured, with eight requiring immediate hospital treatment.

On Tuesday afternoon, physically bruised and psychologically shaken, Omagh man Aaron shared his memory of this ‘terrifying ordeal’ with the UH.

“I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Honestly, when I started lifting off my seat and seen others being launched into the air, I was sure we were going down.”

The flight was part of the local lad’s first trip home since emigrating Down Under 17 months ago.

To get back on Irish soil, Aaron had to get from Perth to Doha, where he then boarded a connecting flight from Doha to Dublin.

“The first one was smooth; it went over without any drama. But it was about three hours into the second flight that things started to go wrong,” said Aaron.

Having fallen asleep sometime after take-off, the young man’s slumber was suddenly broken when the plane began to be ‘bumped around’.

“This didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. In fact, I got up to go to the toilet, but when I got back to my seat, that’s when the real turbulence hit.”

Without warning, the plane began to shake uncontrollably and the laws of gravity seemed to be suspended.

“Everybody’s food shot towards the ceiling, as did some of the people who did not have their seatbelts on. I didn’t have my own on, so I was holding onto the seat in front with one hand, while trying to get clipped in with the other.

“Eventually, I got myself secured, but I didn’t think it was going to do me any good. I didn’t start praying, but I thought there was only going to be one ending.”

Aaron said the feeling of falling was like being on a ‘plummeting rollercoaster’, and he recalled a cacophony of deafening screams erupting throughout the cabin.

However, one thing that he struggles to grasp is how long the incident lasted.

“One one hand it felt like an eternity, but at the same time it feels like it all could have been over within about 20 seconds. It’s very hard to say.”

Whatever length of time it lasted, though, was enough to do damage to Aaron, both mentally and physically.

“I have to fly back in a few weeks and I am not looking forward to that. I am going to do it because there is no other option, but it is not going to be easy.”

Before that, though, Aaron will be taking a trip to the doctor.

“Since the flight, my back and neck have just been getting sorer and sorer.

“I think I probably have whiplash, but I am not sure. If I still feel this way in a few weeks, it’ll not be much fun returning to (construction) work.”

The incident took place only five days after a British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens of people were injured on a Singapore Airlines flight.

Qatar Airways are launching an investigation to establish what happened.