Passengers were left "screaming and crying" on a trans-Tasman flight from Sydney yesterday after a technical malfunction on board.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Lucas Ellwood, who was a passenger on the flight, said it all happened "so suddenly".
"It happened halfway through the flight. We were just served lunch, people were served wine, they picked up the lunch and I was filling out my declaration form.
"Then it hit without any warning. It seemed like the entire plane turned off and it dropped a significant distance. All the people not wearing seatbelts hit the roof, all cell phones hit the roof. Within a moment, everything fell down, bags everywhere, wine everywhere, people screaming."
Ellwood said there was no explanation for what caused the chaos, but he suspects it's because the plane hit a part of the jet stream causing a drop in altitude.
"We came out of a really thick cloud and then there was this beautiful hole in the middle of cloud, then we went back into it. Just as we came out of thick cloud was when we dropped."
He said when they arrived at Auckland Airport, they were all told to remain in their seats. They stayed there for an hour while first aid came onto the aircraft to assess how many people need assistance.
"The crew were pretty much from South America so English wasn't their first language, so a little bit of a language barrier. They were doing their best though and did a terrific job."
Passengers awaiting an onward flight to Santiago have told 1News they are nervous about getting on board a new flight following yesterday’s incident, which injured dozens. (Source: 1News)
In a statement yesterday, LATAM Airlines reported that flight LA800 — a Boeing 787 Dreamliner service on the Sydney-Auckland route — "had a technical problem during the flight which caused a strong movement".
The statement said the plane landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled.
"As a result of the incident, some passengers and cabin crew were affected. They received immediate assistance and were evaluated or treated by medical staff at the airport as needed.
"LATAM regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards."
Thirteen patients were transported to Middlemore Hospital, according to a Hato Hone St John spokesperson, one in a serious condition.
'It was insane – I thought I was dreaming'
Canadian passenger Brian Jokat described the terrifying ordeal onboard to 1News, saying he was "one of the lucky ones that walked off unscathed".
"It happened so quick. There was no pre-turbulence – there was no bumping at all," he said.
Jokat said he was forced awake by a "massive jolt" as the plane momentarily "dropped out of the air".
"I didn't even clock what was going on until everyone started screaming."
The sudden movement sent passengers who hadn't been wearing their seatbelts flying.
"I looked up to see the gentleman that was sitting next to me on the roof of the plane," he said.
"I'm looking at him fully outstretched with his back on the roof of the plane and then he came crashing down to the floor.
"It was insane – I thought I was dreaming. It was like right out of The Exorcist."
He said his shoes were sent hurtling "four rows back" and his jacket had "flown off the seat".
"I had drink spilled all over me but I was perfectly unscathed.
"I was really, really fortunate but there was a lot of people crying and cut and bruised and in shock all around me."
Jokat said the plane's engines then "kicked into gear and just took off again".
As he looked around to see the scale of the damage, Jokat said he noticed the ceiling panels had been "dislodged" from the impact of bodies hitting the roof.
In the immediate aftermath, doctors on board the flight helped attend to their fellow passengers – many of whom were "hyperventilating and panicking" from shock.
"It was pretty chaotic," Jokat said.
The pilot, who had come out to check on the passengers, told the passenger he had "just lost" his instruments.
"'Just for a few seconds, they went blank... and all of a sudden, they just came back instantly'," he remembered the pilot saying.
For the remainder of the flight back to Auckland, Jokat said he sat with his headphones on in fear of further turbulence.
"Couldn't have been more happy when we touched down, I tell you."
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