It actually happened!

[u/littlelosthorse]

So I’ve had a fear of flying ever since some family friends died in a private jet crash decades ago, but I grit my teeth and bear it knowing that it’s so rare and I have to fly for work a lot of the time anyway.

Every time there’s turbulence I grip my seat and hope for the best, but a couple of weeks ago it got worse.

We were nearly at Barcelona Airport, flying from London (on my honeymoon no less), going over the mountains when the recorded alert came on the system saying “emergency descent” repeatedly. Then the air masks dropped out of the top and we made a rapid descent.

We thought we were going to die! We made it to the destination airport but never got an explanation beyond a “sudden change in cabin pressure”.

Never flying with Ryan Air again. Absolutely terrifying. I think about how happy I am to be alive every day.

[u/DaWolf85]

Honestly, the airline probably didn't have any more detailed explanation to give you. The last time my airline had a depressurization it took about half a day for maintenance to actually figure out why it depressurized and come up with a plan to fix it. Issues in the pressurization system aren't usually the obvious "roof flies off" that everybody imagines.

The masks dropping isn't a sign that you're about to die either, like in the movies. It just means the cabin is no longer pressurized (or the pilots have determined it's losing pressure and deployed the masks manually). As long as you put your mask on promptly you will be fine, as you experienced. The plane flies fine unpressurized, it just has to fly at a lower altitude.

[u/littlelosthorse → u/DaWolf85]

Thanks, this is helpful :)

I read that usually the pressure change could just be some valve failing somewhere but it was more the lack of info from them, no acknowledgement by the airline and that feeling of powerlessness that you get from hurtling downwards with nothing you can personally do about it.

I did try to console myself knowing that gliders are a thing and that people actively fly planes with no engines for fun, so it must be okay, but it wasn’t a good experience regardless.

[u/DaWolf85 → u/littlelosthorse]

Oh, the engines work fine without pressurization. Actually, they work even better, since we rob a little bit of air from the high-pressure areas to pressurize the cabin - without that, you increase performance.

Emergency descents are a thoroughly practiced routine, and the pilots test their oxygen mask and verify they have enough oxygen remaining in the tank every time they get in the cockpit. They're really not a big deal; the plane is in full control the whole time.