Delta Passengers Reveal Horror Inside Plane After 'Loud Boom' Forced Emergency Landing

Yahoo

2 days ago

Passengers have described the horror that they underwent when their Delta flight was forced into an emergency landing on the tiny Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.
Last Sunday, Delta Flight 127 took off from Madrid en route to New York City's JFK airport, shortly after takeoff, passengers described hearing a loud bang coming from underneath the Airbus A330.
Phoenix realtor Ken Elder, 54, told The Advocate that he was lying horizontally in the Delta One section of the plane, a first-class offering, when he heard the boom.
'There was a thud under the plane. I could feel it through my back. As someone who flies a lot, I knew it wasn't turbulence… I was kind of stressed out because I was like, 'I am not going down in the ocean, laying like I'm in a coffin.' I need to get seated back up,' he said.
In a separate interview, another passenger, Marc Viscardi, told of the horrifying scene which saw passengers crying and wailing as the pilot announced one of the plane's engines was lost.
'People were crying. There were people praying. Nobody really knew what was happening. The pilot got onto the intercom to tell us the flight had been diverted and we lost the left engine,' he told ABC New York.
Elder elaborated on the 'bizarre' scene that unfolded.
'It was surreal. I usually fall asleep while we're taxiing. But when the pilot said we'd lost an engine, I thought, 'This is happening. I'm on the plane that's the emergency,'' he said.
'And there was this split between the logical part of my brain, which trusted the pilot, and the emotional side that kept thinking, 'If we lose the second engine, we're screwed.''
Elder went on to say that he was texting family members as the nightmare unfolded, fearing the worst. He also spoke about seeing his fellow passengers crying and praying.
The flight crew landed the flight safely on Lajes Airfield on Terceira Island in the Azores.
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Passengers were faced with a 30-hour layover.
Delta offered them meals and accommodation, but Viscardi said that the carrier's efforts fell short.
He said that some passengers booked their own hotels because the airline was taking such a long time to do so.
In a brief statement, Delta told various media outlets: 'The flight landed safely, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience and delay in their travels.'
It's not clear what caused the aircraft's engine to fail. In his interview with The Advocate, Elder was effusive in his praise for the crew on board the flight, including the captain, who reassured passengers that the flight could continue safely with one engine.
However, on the ground, Elder reiterated Viscardi's concerns, complaining that he had booked his own hotel only to arrive there and discover that Delta had booked some accommodations for passengers, just not every passenger.
Despite this, Elder said he will not give up on traveling with Delta as the airline regularly takes good care of passengers.
Delta Passengers Reveal Horror Inside Plane After 'Loud Boom' Forced Emergency Landing first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 12, 2025