American Airlines Plane Drops 15,000 Feet In 3 Minutes: 'It Was Terrifying'

Photo:Getty

Getty

An American Airlines flight dropped over 15,000 feet In three minutes on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Flight 5916, headed from Charlotte, North Carolina to Gainesville, Florida, “landed safely at Gainesville Regional Airport in Florida around 4:55 p.m. local time,” the FAA said in astatement, noting that “the crew reported a possible pressurization issue.”

“Something failed midflight and depressurized the cabin,” passenger and University of Florida professor Harrison Hove, wrote onTwitter(now known as X). “The burning smell can apparently be attributed to using the oxygen canisters. The wing flaps came out to immediately lower our altitude so there would be more oxygen. It was terrifying but turned out ok.”

“I’ve flown a lot. This was scary,” Harrison wrote in anotherTweet. “Kudos to our amazing flight crew- cabin staff and pilots on@AmericanAir5916. The photos cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops. Good to be on the ground."

An American Airlines spokesperson toldFOX Businessthat the plane “safely descended to a lower altitude” after receiving a report of the “possible pressurization issue.”

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“We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience and thank our team for their professionalism," the spokesperson said.

The FAA will investigate, according to the release.

American Airlines did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

source: people.com