South Lakes family on 'terror flight'

Tony and Judy Hyland and their eight-year-old daughter Ebony told how passengers around them screamed in terror and were thrown several feet into the air as the pilot of the bmi Airbus took avoiding action after encountering the severe storm at 34,000 feet above Germany.

Describing how the plane dropped like a lift down a shaft, the couple said passengers who were not in their seats were told to lie in the aisle and brace themselves. They said they only took in the seriousness of their ordeal after exiting the aircraft and seeing the extensive damage, including a smashed cockpit window.

The Hylands, of Howe Gardens, Kendal, had been holidaying in Cyprus and Egypt, and were returning home to Manchester on Bank Holiday Monday.

Flight BD8412 was delayed taking off from Larnaca for the four-and-a-half hour flight because of bad weather and was diverted from its normal route. Mrs Hyland, 28, who is a nurse at the intensive care unit at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, said it was a slightly bumpy flight and the seatbelt signs flashed on a couple of times.

After a couple of hours the pilot advised the passengers to put on their seatbelts.

"It got gradually bumpier and bumpier and we could just see the clouds getting darker and darker and greyer, and lightning flashing down the side of the plane," said Mrs Hyland.

"Then we could hear the hailstones really, really loudly, just thundering down the side of the plane.

"Just seconds after that we went straight down. We could see a couple of people in the aisle and they must have left the floor by at least three-quarters of the height of the seat."

The Hylands were all strapped in but were nevertheless jolted up from their seats.

Mr Hyland, 38, who is unemployed and training in website design, and had not flown for 20 years, said: "I have done a bungee jump before and it was more than that. It was as if you were in a lift and someone just snapped the cable."

As the plane dropped by 11,000 feet to 23,000 feet, passengers started to scream, which upset first-time flier Ebony who began to cry. Mrs Hyland said she deliberately stayed calm to reassure her Ghyllside School pupil daughter but was concerned that the engines could cut out. As the pressure changed, condensation started to billow around inside the plane

She was afraid for her life at one point: "For a fraction of a second you do think, when is this going to stop?"

Mr Hyland said that the pilot made an announcement saying that everything appeared to be well inside the cockpit.

"The pilot kept us informed and was telling us what was going on throughout. All the cabin crew were superb and all very calm and very professional."

The couple believe the flight was continued at a much lower altitude before landing at Manchester to claps and cheers from the passengers. The pilot told the holidaymakers that he had not encountered anything like the storm in 20 years of flying.

The Hylands were shocked to see how the plane's paintwork had been peppered by the hail.

"I do think we were lucky to get down, when you look at it," said Mrs Hyland. "We were all very lucky to get back in one piece and get back with no injuries at all."

Mr Hyland said they had not been put off flying again but advised: "If the seatbelt sign is on, put it on."

A bmi spokesman said the plane experienced "adverse weather conditions".

"The aircraft, an Airbus A321 carrying 213 passengers and eight crew, made a normal landing at its destination airport at 1910 hours. While the aircraft sustained visible external damage, none of the aircraft's operational control systems were affected.

"The aircraft, as a precautionary measure, is now with the airline's engineers for a detailed inspection."

Only the exterior layer of three layers of glass in the cockpit was smashed and the nose cone was not pressurised, so the hole did not affect the aircraft's operation, said the spokesman.

May 30, 2003 09:30