United Airlines passenger reveals he and family were terrified as plane swooped down nearly crashing in water
MAUI, HAWAII: A passenger on the horrifying United Airlines flight that came within the feet of plunging into the Pacific Ocean detailed his and his family's scary experience. On December 18, Rod Williams II was sitting in the back of United Airlines flight 1722 with his wife and children when it unexpectedly came down.
According to Williams, the plane, which was flying from Hawaii to San Francisco encountered a strong storm and went into a "dramatic, nose-down" dive for roughly eight to 10 seconds, causing utter chaos in the cabin. The father, who studied aviation in college, said he tried to remain calm for the benefit of his 10-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son, who had never flown before their vacation to Hawaii.
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What did Rod Williams II experience on terrifying United Airlines flight?
Williams from Ohio claimed he was clueless about how the flight came close enough to be colliding with the water - which, as per flight officials, was just 775 feet away. The father of two spoke with CNN to share his personal story of the incident, which was unknown until this week. He said he initially believed the turbulence to be typical but quickly recognized something was wrong as other passengers' shouts grew louder.
'There were a number of screams on the plane'
Williams said, "It felt like you were climbing to the top of a rollercoaster." He said he noted the plane had descended at a "concerning rate" for a number of seconds. "It was at that point," he added. According to Williams, this is when the passengers who had been trying to maintain their composure started to panic. "There were a number of screams on the plane," the Columbus, Ohio, realtor recounted. He added, "Everybody knew that something was out of the ordinary, or at least that this was not normal."
'It was certainly out of the ordinary'
The devoted father, who was also deathly afraid, sought to maintain his composure in front of his family. "You’re trying your best to maintain your composure – there’s obviously kids on the flight. nobody really knows what’s going on," Williams stated, before saying, "but at the same time, you’re concerned. You don’t know if this is an issue." "It was certainly out of the ordinary," he continued.
'You're just kind of gripping seat and praying'
Williams went on to reveal the terrified states of other passengers as well as his own mental state during the terrifying incident. He claimed that shortly after takeoff when the jet plummeted from its initial altitude of 2,200 feet to 1,425 feet, he and his wife, who were sitting on either side of their two children, exchanged a wordless glance. The plane then regained its ascent as it departed from Kahului on the island of Maui. The father recounted the feelings going through their minds at the time an said: "It's tense, you don't really have a chance to speak or to conjure up words, you're just kind of gripping the seat and praying under your breath."
Fear ended quickly
Williams claimed that the fear ended quickly after which flight attendants emerged to console a few passengers who were very upset. He is the first passenger to give the first description of the incident. "Alright, folks, you probably felt a couple G's on that one, but everything's gonna to be OK," remarked someone from the crew over the intercom, Williams claimed. The devoted father quoted the United staffer as adding, "We’re gonna be alright."