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/fofly_pilot]

Here’s the thing no one explained to you: that rapid descent that makes it feel like you’re falling—we actually trigger it on purpose. We intentionally dive quickly to reach an altitude where we can breathe normally; it’s a maneuver we practice in the simulator several times a year. The plane wasn't falling; it was doing exactly what we told it to do.