Passengers on an American Airlines flight fell into panic mode as the plane appeared to be taking on water midflight. The New York Post reports that a video showed passengers trying to escape flooding water as it traveled down the aisle towards the front of the plane.
Social media users have gone wild mocking the situation as a Titanic-like scene with one post playing Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and another equating it to ‘Final Destination’ saying that the scenario has now become a new fear.
The source of the leak was apparently from the rear restroom. According to The Post, “Hilary Stewart Blazevic, a passenger on the plane, claimed that a woman had used the bathroom and alerted a flight attendant to the leak, per Storyful. But the cabin crew member was unable to quell the cascade.”
The water that seeped down the aisle may, or may not, have been sewage, causing passengers to lift their belongings off the floor as well as their feet just to be safe.
Blazevic said that “It was utter disbelief and a little panic realizing they can’t shut off the water.”
Given the numerous reports of airline fiascos, it is not surprising that passengers began panicking at the sight of water seeping through the floor of the plane in the middle of a flight.
Another social media user commented, “Imaging [sic] drowning…on a plane…in air.”
Boeing has suffered a slew of bad press this past year with a number of incidents causing travellers to fear for their safety boarding flights. Incidents have included a tire coming off of a United Airlines plane upon takeoff and a door plug blowing off a jet mid-flight.
Earlier this year, The Post reported that Boeing whistleblowers were sounding that alarm on the safety failures of the company when it became apparent that there were “defects” that needed to be addressed, but were ignored.
Although Boeing is reportedly working towards making changes, the numerous scary events have left a mark, not just on the company, but on air travel in general. The looming thought of something going wrong is likely in the back of people’s minds given the latest headlines in addition to the fear some may already have when it comes to air travel.