21-05-2025
We thought this would be the last flight of our lives: Passenger on hail-hit Indigo flight
NEW DELHI: Among the 227 passengers aboard the Indigo flight 6E 2142 which survived a sudden hailstorm en route to Srinagar was Sheikh Samiullah, the CEO of start-up FastBeetle. Reliving the ordeal passengers went through for five terrifying minutes, Samiullah said that they all thought they wouldn't survive.
Speaking exclusively to TNIE, Samiullah, who had been seated in 16B, said, "The flight was jam-packed and everything was smooth for some time after we took off by 5 pm. Half our journey was completed. As we were crossing Pathankot (Punjab) by 5.40 pm. the pilot asked everyone to tighten their seat belts and asked the crew to remain seated as they were crossing a path of turbulence."
Everyone did as advised. "I was quite cool about it. I travel frequently to different parts of the world and have heard of flight turbulences and thought it would be something minor. However, what followed was the most traumatic experience in my life. I really thought it would be the last flight of my life."
Saimullah said, "There were streaks of lightning visible through all the windows. There was a dark yellowish colour enveloping the aircraft. The flight was going up and then down. This happened continuously many times and it gave you the feeling of being on a rollercoaster. This went on for five minutes. Everyone was frightened and in complete panic. A kid was vomiting."
