‘We Were Flung Up And Down” – Officer Recounts Turbulence On Lagos-Abuja Flight

Tunji Disu, a well known police officer has recounted turbulence that occurred while he was on a Lagos-Abuja flight.

The former Rapid Response Squad, RRS commander titled his writeup, ‘A Night of Severe Turbulence’ via his Facebook handle today, Saturday.

He shared, “I returned to Abuja from Lagos recently, after a work mission. When the flight took off at 1800 hours, the pilot warned us that there would be some turbulence but not to be concerned.

“The plane first began to shake horizontally. Then everything outside went black, and I was sitting by the window, unable to see the plane’s wings any longer.

“As the turbulence worsened, we were flung up and down, I saw lightning outside my window, and I felt the seat belt yank me back into my seat.

“I looked out the window again as there was a loud bang followed by a sharp shift to the right and loss of height, and the plane began bouncing and swaying all over the place.

“A passenger who was not wearing a seatbelt collided with the locker. In an attempt to assess the severity of the situation, I turned to look at the flight attendant in the back, who was still holding on to the seat handles while wearing her nasal mask.

“The plane quickly changed into a flying church, complete with loud prayers.

“I noticed the jet gaining height and speed as the pilots maintained their grip on the controls. The women next to me started crying. The turbulence began at 1815 hours, only 15 minutes after takeoff, and I was keeping an eye on my wristwatch the entire time.

“When I turned to face the air hostess again, she smiled and motioned with her hands that everything was fine.

“The pilot declared the start of the descent at 18:45, as we approached Abuja, and the aircraft stabilised. I felt the plane’s wheels hit the runway before taxiing to safety as if nothing had happened, and the beat went on.”