Terrified Qantas passengers sent goodbye messages as they feared for their lives
Terrified Qantas passengers have sent their loved ones goodbye messages, fearing they were about to crash on a flight from Perth to Sydney.
Those onboard flight QF568 said the aircraft jerked violently and rapidly descended, as oxygen masks fell from the ceiling.
Ray Chant, one of 300 passengers onboard, recorded the frightening ordeal on his mobile phone.
Over the PA system, an automated message can be heard instructing passengers to prepare for an emergency landing.
"This is an emergency announcement," the recording says.
"Sit down in the nearest seat now and pull down an oxygen mask. Fasten your seat belts."
The Airbus A330 red-eye flight from Perth to Sydney was near the WA border when warning lights started flashing.
It descended to 10,000 feet, where cabin pressure isn't required.
For Mr Chant, he thought he was going to die.
"I just thought, how can I record this and say my last goodbyes?" he told 7 News.
Other passengers described the terrifying ordeal.
"The plane all of a sudden just jerked then started going down," Anthony Knox said.
"People next to me were sending goodbye messages and stuff like that. It was a bit crazy," another passenger, Tim Garvey, said.
Paramedic Sam Bumphrey was also on the flight. She did what she could to calm those around her.
"Because everyone was freaking out, hyper-ventilating… There was a couple, a young lady struggling big time," she recalled.
The captain managed to make an emergency deviation to Melbourne, where the flight landed safely to the relief of those onboard.
On video recordings, passengers can be heard applauding as the aircraft touches down.
In a statement, Qantas said the issue was in the air conditioning that affected the ability to maintain cabin pressure.
Some passengers told 7 News there was a smell of burning plastic in the moments before the emergency descent.
Qantas said its engineers are assessing the Airbus A330, which will remain grounded.
