Terrified passengers reeling from a 1,000-foot drop and extreme turbulence on a Lufthansa flight between Austin and Frankfurt were asked by staff to erase all photographic and video evidence of the incident.
Two passengers, one of whom was injured during the unexpected fall, revealed to Well-informed person that a flight attendant made two attempts to ensure the passengers removed the evidence; the second time implied that it was to protect people’s privacy.
Many passengers were not wearing seatbelts because the signal had not been activated and seven people were hospitalized after the horrifying flight made an emergency landing.
Pictures and images that surfaced on social media after the flight showed the aftermath of the crash with food and personal items scattered around the cabin.
Terrified passengers reeling from a 1,000-foot drop and extreme turbulence on a Lufthansa flight between Austin and Frankfurt were asked by staff to erase all photographic and video evidence of the incident.
The flight touched down at Washington-Dulles International Airport around 9 p.m., just three hours into a 10.5-hour flight from Austin to Germany. Seven passengers were taken to the hospital.
Rolanda Schmidt was one of seven injured during the flight and told the outlet that she hit her head on a plastic tray in the front seat.
He was later thrown out of his seat as the plane rose rapidly, hitting his head a second time.
“It was one of those moments where within five to 10 minutes of processing, you knew you were going to die and we didn’t know if we were going to get anywhere safely,” Schmidt said.
“It felt like the inside of your body was being shaken.”
Schmidt said he suffered a concussion, a badly bruised arm and a possible hip fracture in contrast to the “minor injuries” cited by Lufthansa.
As the plane made an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport, a flight attendant said over the loudspeaker: “Delete all your photos and videos.”
“I think we all said, ‘What?!'” Schmidt said, surprised by the request.
Five minutes later, Schmidt claimed the attendant made another announcement demanding the photos and videos be removed, this time softening the request by saying it was for the privacy of the passengers.
“That’s not the way it came out, saying ‘delete all your photos’ and all that,” Schmidt said.
Another passenger, who remained anonymous, also backed up Schmidt’s claims, saying staff at the German flag carrier had made the request.
Lufthansa has not indicated what may have caused the turmoil and has been approached by DailyMail.com for comment citing Schmidt’s claims.
In the aftermath of the incident, passengers recounted the terrifying moment their Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt plummeted 1,000 feet after being struck by lightning, saying it all happened in “slow motion” and “it was like being in a movie.” “.
Seven people have been hospitalized after the ordeal that led to an emergency landing in Washington DC.
Susan Zimmerman, who was on the flight, said Good morning america that she was ‘shocked’, adding that it was the first time many, including staff, had experienced something of this magnitude.
“I don’t think even the people who were on board, not even the cabin crew, I don’t even think any of them experienced that,” he told the station.
‘This was shocking. It was like you were in slow motion.
Passengers recounted the terrifying moment their Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt plummeted 1,000 feet after being struck by lightning. Susan Zimmerman said she was ‘shocked’
“You just see everything, like in a movie where you see everything go up and all of a sudden it goes back down, it felt like five seconds of falling and then there were tremors.”
Broken glass and debris lay strewn among the cabins as passengers braved the traumatic wave turbulence they experienced at 37,000 feet while flying over Tennessee.
The flight landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport around 9:00 p.m., just three hours after the 10.5-hour flight to Germany. Seven passengers were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
One man, who claimed his wife was on the flight, said “people who were not wearing their seatbelts got hurt mainly because it was a surprise.”
A photo sent to him by the man’s wife shows trays of food, containers, cutlery and brochures scattered around the lobby.
A passenger, who spoke anonymously with the Washington Posthe said the food “went flying through the air, hitting and even damaging the roof of the plane.”
Passengers sitting in the front row were bleeding heavily and exited the plane after the chaos.
Another person whose sister and brother-in-law were on the flight said it was “exceptionally terrifying, (with) lots of broken glass, screaming and multiple injuries,” according to Sun.
The airline offered passengers a link to request a refund after angry passengers took to social media to express their anguish: “Many of our plans have been affected, our clothes are ruined and we definitely expect a lot more than a hotel this week.” evening”.
The flight landed at the DC airport three hours into its journey: the airline provided hotel accommodations for the passengers.
“We would like immediate help and compensation for the catastrophic crash landing incident involving LH469,” wrote one passenger.
The airline also provided hotel accommodations for displaced passengers.
Yet another passenger thanked the crew: ‘@lufthansa thank you so much for your amazing care of Flt 469 tonight! My family will be forever grateful for the skill of the pilot and co-pilot and the care of the crew.’
The FAA is investigating the incident.
