For some context I along with my brother were flying from Phuket to New Delhi and the plane free-fell for around 300 feet which is equivalent to a 30-floor building.
The purpose of writing this essay is just for me to put out the trauma and reflect upon what happened to us .
For starters I can’t feel anything but grateful to God and universe that everyone survived and made it out alive. In my wildest dreams I never thought it would happen to us and that we would be part of this big news. For everyone else it all feels distant you can just read the news but there is no way to feel that horrifying experience .
I am sure if I share this a lot of people might feel the fear and the trauma but it’s totally impossible for me to fully share what we encountered. But I do want to reflect on what happened bring it out of me and move on in life.
So I will start from the beginning. It was 3 Aug ’26. We were at the beach both of us swimming in the ocean. The water was so clear and calm but despite that there were huge waves and we both discussed how it was one of the best swims ever on the very last day of our Phuket trip. The sunset was absolutely beautiful.
Now on the next day we had our flight around 8:30 AM. We woke up early as usual. We took the flight and the journey started as usual.
The flight had flown for 2 hours or so. Everyone had food and everything was going well. I was rewatching the latest episode of “India’s Got Latent” laughing out loud and having fun. In one split second that lighthearted joy shattered as we felt sudden turbulence which scared us all followed by a violent nose-down like a free fall. We could see people flying hitting their heads and the flight kept on going down and then futher down in full speed and not inclination to stop before hitting the ground.
Initially the brain was just numb and we couldn’t figure out what was happening. There was no time to panic and while the flight started going down we were sure it was about to hit the ground where we accepted fate with no time to process anything. The free fall was 300 feet which is equal to a 30-floor building. If we didn’t have the height it might have crashed.
Then after a few minutes not sure how many the flight got somewhat in control and everyone started shouting and everyone started coming back to their senses. We could see people in pain. There were so many cracks on the plane roof everyone who was not wearing a seatbelt got hurt really bad and there was no warning and it all happened in seconds. Some people broke their spine some their neck and nose. A baby onboard flew a few seats away from the parents. People lost their glasses phones. The doors of overhead bins fell off along with the bags but the situation stabilized a bit and everyone realized how closely they had escaped death but there was still very much uncertainty.
There is more that happened afterwards but right after the flight crew came asking who all were injured despite having the most injuries themselves as even they did not have any seat belts on. They started bringing medication and started applying it to people and they brought ice in hand towels for the people to apply. Some of the crew were not even able to walk properly despite it they were selflessly helping people out which is the greatest act of bravery and selfless
After some time one of the pilots came out with blood in his eyes his dress messed up and started telling people “We are now in control don’t panic” and asking us not to take pictures and videos trying to calm people down though he was looking terrified.
Some people claimed he was rude but I understand no one had any control of their emotions everyone was caught off guard. After some time he announced that we would be doing an emergency landing in Lucknow but later he diverted to Delhi and mentioned that everyone would get good medical support there. People were in a lot of pain with some having broken bones.
The crew started asking doctors on board to help everyone.
After that we were told the flight would take 40 minutes to land and everyone was shit-scared. Seeing the plane damaged no one was sure if we would even be able to land today. People were shouting crying and waiting helplessly to see what would happen. Those 40 minutes were the longest of my life.
The situation was so bad we started recording our final messages to our family and turned off flight mode in the hope that even before the crash they might be able to receive those messages. There were wild thoughts going through my head.
We waited with intense fear as the flight started descending and the flight was making so much loud noise grrrrrr grrrr which was very unusual. I was a nomad for the last few years and took countless flights so I knew it was not normal the speed at which the flight was flying and the noise it was making.
After that the descent started and the crew came and asked us not to shout. He told us “We are also human and we are also fearing. We are going to see what will happen but we are in this together so support everyone and try not to shout and stay calm” which was telling us there is so much uncertainty and we are most likely now going to crash
Everyone started reciting mantras, praying and trying to accept the fact that we were going to crash anytime soon.
While descending the plane slowed down a lot almost feeling stationary like engines turned off. And again we felt something like a turbulence / free fall along with loud sound and now we were closer to landing. Every second was so painful. My brother and I were holding hands so tightly our knuckles white with watery eyes realizing the end was near. Looking at him a heartbreaking thought consumed me I was just so sad that both of us brothers were on the same flight. What would happen to our parents? If death was inevitable I kept wishing I were the only one on this flight so that he could survive and be there for them. I was so devastated that I would not be able to see my parents and wife ever again.
We were just so helpless broken inside with zero hope of surviving. The plane felt like it was just gliding.
My throat was so dry choking for water the whole body shaking and thoughts like “Why drink water? There is no point we are about to die anytime soon.” We could clearly see panic on the face of the flight crew and their helplessness.
For a split second I thought I should record audio and share with my family everything I worked hard for years for them all my money and investments I had. But then I didn’t send it. I accepted we are going to die and even that will not help anyone. They will not be able to overcome this ever and there’s no point sharing it. I only recorded how much I love them and just sorry and goodbye.
Till the very last second death looked like the only possible thing happening. I could see life drifting away everything my loved ones things i worked hard for over the years everything I planned to do all my goals
And then we could see the buildings the road and then the airport. By God’s grace and because of the pilots the flight landed slowly without damage. We were all just suprised how the plane landed safely
As soon as it landed we could see people rushing in with stretchers and wheelchairs taking people out.
Everyone was happy that they survived one of the most traumatic and rare events anyone can experience. We were feeling nothing but grateful that we landed safely.
After Math
Nothing is confirmed but the following seem to be a few possibilities:
– Severe CAT (Clear-Air Turbulence)
– Based on some tweets it might be a transient technical issue.
– Some pilot negligence
Reflection
Life is profoundly uncertain. Nobody can predict what will happen the next moment which makes all our overthinking and daily anxiety completely pointless. There is a 99% chance nothing you worry about will happen but the most unexpected thing can arrive uninvited in a split second. Confronting that reality directly has made me feel strangely fearless.
Returning home after landing sitting in over two hours of heavy traffic felt like an absolute blessing a gift of time that would normally irritate me. and hugging the family was the big relief.
Facing death stripped away all the noise. Money career and endless ambitions take up most of my days but money is never going to be enough and none of it matters when you are about to die. In those final moments I wasn’t thinking about work achievements or wealth but about the people and moments I deeply love. The constant push for bigger goals and total control can vanish instantly if you don’t learn to enjoy the present and be grateful for what you have right now. Every single day alive is a blessing and even the worst day is infinitely better than nothing. I want to live living without delay ensuring I never hurt anyone intentionally and never leave love unsaid. I was so glad I had already taken my parents on four or five foreign trips and many domestic ones creating memories together while we could.
On that first day I felt as if I had been granted a second life where nothing mattered except the pure gift of being alive. But slowly the noise of daily routines average thoughts and old habits try to pull you back in and that overwhelming feeling of gratitude starts to fade. The only thing that stops that drift is conscious awareness stopping yourself in the middle of the day to simply be grateful for what you have right now. I know most people won’t fully understand the trauma we felt and as we learn to joke or laugh about it it feels as though we walked into a completely different timeline while the rest of the world moves on.
As a strange coincidence at the exact time we were landing there was the 5th and last day of paath(prayer recitation) going on of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra at my wife’s house which literally translates to “Great Victory over Death” and is chanted for protection from death, difficult situation and danger without her knowing what was happening at the moment. While I also remain practical and avoid forcing logical connections I am just sharing this as a fact. I exist right at the center of skepticism and spirituality.
I still marvel at how airplanes fly and want to express deep gratitude to modern aviation and engineering for making such aircraft fail-safe enough to bring us back down alive.
I know that in time this will become a distant memory and normal life will resume but I wanted to write this down to preserve these lessons
Be grateful
Om Namah Shivaya