The Most Horrifying Things That Can Happen Mid-Air

How And Why It Happens: Loss of cabin pressure on a plane occurs when a door or window experiences a structural failure, the depressurization system malfunctions, or an error is made with the cabin pressure controls. A deliberate act by someone on board to bring about cabin depressurization is also possible.

Loss in cabin pressure due to a hole, opening, or crack somewhere in the plane can lead to slow, rapid, or explosive depressurization. When the pressure gets to a certain level, oxygen masks drop from the overhead panels to provide much-needed air.

What To Do: If the pressure on a plane declines, passengers and crew members may feel lightheaded. If a gradual depressurization occurs and the masks come down, passengers need to put them on before the situation grows more dire. If the plane has depressurized too much, it can lead to hypoxia and incapacitation.

In a rapid depressurization, putting on a mask may not be possible, but if the plane is at a low enough altitude, passengers and crew members might be able to breathe without them. Rapid and explosive depressurization may cause strong winds to enter the cabin, leading to flying debris. Cold temperatures are also an issue and, in the worst scenarios, people can be sucked out of a window or other opening. 

When an engine explosion shattered glass on a Southwest flight in 2018, it caused the cabin to depressurize. Passenger Matt Tranchin described what happened next:

There was momentary chaos. Everyone kind of descended on where this hole was. As passengers, we weren't sure if they were trying to cover up the hole, but the plane smelled like smoke. There was ash coming through the ventilation system… Some of the crew couldn't hold back their horror. And some were crying as they looked out through the open window onto the engine.

One woman was partially sucked out of the window, Jennifer Riordan. She was pulled back in by fellow passengers but later died of a head injury sustained when she hit the window. 

How And Why It Happens: A fire on a flight may happen to landing gear, in luggage, or even due to a malfunction of the coffee maker on board. The latter happened in 2019 aboard a Southwest flight, filling the plane with an “acrid smell.” 

What To Do: If a fire does occur on a flight, the pilot will descend to an altitude that doesn't require the flow of oxygen. This is because oxygen is so combustible. 

Passengers should report the smell of smoke - or anything like smoke - to the flight crew but, if a fire does occur, prepare for landing. Planes have fire detection and suppression systems, but they aren't infallible. 

Staying calm is key but, as flight safety expert Anthony Brickhouse pointed out in The Washington Post, take off any polyester and nylon because it can melt to your skin. He continued, “Cotton fibers and natural fibers are going to give you more protection.”

How And Why It Happens: One or more engines may fail while in flight for a variety of reasons, including bird strikes, an electronic short, or some other system malfunction. 

If one engine goes out, a plane can still fly as well as if all engines were functioning. This includes landing. Even if two or more engines (or all of the engines, however many there are) go out, the plane will not fall out of the sky. 

Pilots will decide whether a landing is needed, taking into account the distinction between precautionary and forced landing. The former is done just in case while the latter is unavoidable. In some instances, ditching the plane may be necessary, essentially the same as landing on water. 

What To Do: Losing engine power does not mean that the pilot will completely lose control of the plane and it doesn't result in an immediate crash. Ideally, the pilot will glide until finding an appropriate place to land.

Losing engine power can be disruptive, as was the case on a Qantas plane in 2024. According to passengers, “a really jolting shudder went through the plane” when a Boeing 737 jet experienced engine failure. Passenger Mark Willacy described what it was like when the engine failed on takeoff:

We knew immediately something was wrong… That big bang as the wheels were leaving the ground and the shudder - that was like nothing I’ve ever felt… one engine was really pumping it out hard to get us into the air.

The plane circled for a bit and then returned to the airport for a safe landing. 

How And Why It Happens: There are numerous reasons a pilot may become incapacitated, but generally it's the result of a health crisis of some kind. Airsickness, an injury, a food allergy, or some other incident during the flight can all render a pilot unable to fly the plane.

What To Do: Planes have two pilots: the captain and the first officer. This means that, if one of the individuals who can fly the plane is unable to do so, there's someone else on board who can.

In the event that one of the pilots is ill, as was the case on a Southwest flight in March 2023, there may be someone on board with flight experience. When the pilot “needed medical attention,” another pilot on board went to the flight deck and helped with the radio while the other Southwest pilot handled flying the plane. 

How And Why It Happens: According to the Federal Aviation Administration, bird strikes, as they're called, aren't limited to birds. Bats are a threat, as are non-airborne animals like deer, coyotes, and alligators. 

Thousands of wildlife strikes happen each year, mostly between July and October when young birds leave their nests and migrations occur. 

Sixty-one percent of bird strikes happen during landing, with another 36% occurring during take-off.

What To Do: If a bird strike occurs, the best thing to do is brace for a potential engine shutdown. This is true for passengers and crew. Pilots try to assess what damage has occurred to the engine - and any other part of the aircraft - likely taking another approach to land if the strike occurred before landing. 

Commercial airplanes are designed to withstand bird strikes to a large extent. This includes engines. If one engine loses power, a plane can still fly safely. 

How And Why It Happens: It's not uncommon while on a flight to hear a flight attendant or other member of the flight crew ask if someone aboard has medical training. While the Federal Aviation Administration requires all planes to have an emergency medical kit onboard, they are “not really trained to be emergency medical staff, but they certainly have basic training in dealing with these kinds of things.”

What To Do: If there's an in-flight emergency, using a phone while en route might be an option. With the internet available on flights, it's also possible to look up a condition or way to handle an emergency online, although that's not without challenges of its own. Offering uninformed advice or getting in the way is a really bad idea, for obvious reasons. 

What most people don't know is that entities like STAT-MD, a group of dispatchers who handle calls from commercial and private airlines, help in the event of an emergency. STAT-MD, according to medical director Dr. TJ Doyle, provides “a service for passenger screenings or what they call fitness to fly evaluations" within 90 seconds of a call. 

The most common cases handled by STAT-MD involve “fainting events, respiratory/oxygen issues, nausea and GI issues, chest pain, and the like.” It also provides “fitness to fly” evaluations to offer insights into whether or not a passenger is safe to board in the first place.