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Passengers were left terrified when their Japan Airlines flight suddenly began ‘plummeting violently’ before making an emergency landing.
The Boeing 737 Flight JL8696/IJ004, operated under a codeshare take care of budget carrier Spring Airlines Japan, dropped 26,000ft in 10 minutes on Monday evening.
The aircraft, as a result of fly 191 passengers and crew from Shanghai to Tokyo, was diverted to Osaka shortly before 9pm local time.
Video clips posted to social media by shell-shocked travellers once they landed show oxygen masks dropping through the panic-filled descent.
One wrote: ‘My body continues to be here, but my soul hasn’t caught up. My legs are still shaking. Once you face life or death, every part else feels trivial.’
One other commented: ‘The plane began plummeting violently at around 7pm and dropped to three,000 metres in only 20 minutes.’
Japan’s transport ministry said the aircraft’s alarm system detected an abnormality within the mechanism chargeable for maintaining cabin pressure, the Independent reports.
In an announcement provided to the outlet, Japan Airlines said: ‘On June 30, Flight JL8696 experienced a malfunction with the cabin pressurisation system, accompanied by an alert indicating an abnormal cabin altitude pressure level.
‘In accordance with emergency procedures, the flight descended to a secure altitude. It is vital to make clear that rapid decompression didn’t occur. Nonetheless, as a result of the potential for a decrease in cabin pressure, oxygen masks were deployed as a precautionary measure.
‘The descent was conducted in accordance with standard safety protocols to make sure passenger and crew safety.’
The precise reason for the incident stays under investigation.
Not one of the passengers or crew were hurt.
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