Dozens of North Texans returned to DFW Airport on Wednesday after a harrowing experience in the skies above Japan.
On Tuesday, American Airlines Flight #280 was heading from Seoul, South Korea to DFW Airport when it experienced major turbulence. Passengers described it as lasting nearly an hour and included three large drops.
The flight made an emergency landing in Tokyo after 14 people asked for medical attention. Fort Worth-based American Airlines said four passengers and a crew member needed to be treated at a hospital. None of those injuries were life-threatening.
Passengers returned to DFW aboard two flights from Tokyo on Wednesday. And most passengers said they thought the plane was about to crash.
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"It was horrible," said Georgi Inocentes of Grapevine.
Inocentes' travel back home was captured on video, taken by Dallas attorney Marc Stanley. The video shows Inocentes picking up part of the dishware that struck her when the turbulence hit.
"I was sitting in the first class and then it dropped like three times," Inocentes said. "Sudden drops. We thought that was it. There was no warning."
Inocentes says she had a few bumps on her head, but was otherwise okay.
"Yeah, I got hit with three plates and glasses," she said.
"It was that sort of that 'Matrix' moment, where everything went mid-air," said passenger Ed Huston.
Huston says the crew did a good job settling passengers down after the turbulence hit, but that the plane was a mess.
"People were wearing food, lettuce was all over the place, up on the ceilings," Huston said. "You couldn't get through the aisles because there was broken glass."
The turbulence not only sent food and plates flying, but serving carts were lifted into the air. Bill Roll and his wife, Sun, were also on board, where Roll's laptop went flying as well.
"Two rows back and left," Roll said. "I didn’t even realize it was gone until a young man handed it to me."
Passengers flying in from several spots in Asia on Wednesday said it was a bumpy ride, but nothing quite like Tuesday's flight. A journey Inocentes is glad ended safely.
"I am ready to be home and sleep," Inocentes said.
