In 2008, when TikToker Maudeline (@maudelinee) was 10 years old, she and her family were living in India. They were on their way back home from vacation on a flight from Goa to Bangalore.
The flight time was about an hour and 20 minutes, and they were flying Kingfisher Airlines, which ceased operations in 2011 or 2012.
For short flights like those, airlines would use small propeller planes. Maudeline, her two siblings, parents, and grandparents were all on the evening flight. Takeoff was normal, but they started experiencing turbulence mid-flight.
“Now, my family and I are originally from France, but we lived abroad for about 10 to 11 years, so we were used to really long-haul flights, and it’s not like flying was anything abnormal for us,” said Maudeline.
“I would say, we were pretty used to flying; we were pretty used to turbulence and all that.”
But this turbulence was unlike any other turbulence they had experienced before. The pilot made an announcement, letting the passengers know that they were entering a zone of turbulence in the middle of a storm.
Out of the hundreds of flights that Maudeline had taken, that was hands-down the worst flight of her life.
As soon as the announcement was made, the plane began shaking from the turbulence. What they did not expect was the sound of hail hitting the aircraft.
Large, hard pieces of hail were banging against the metal exterior, and it was absolutely horrifying.
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Then, the plane started going up slightly but would drop back down a couple of hundred meters. At the time, drinks had already been served, so cups were flying everywhere.
“People were screaming because every time the plane would rise, people would get nervous, and then it would drop hundreds of meters, and the entire aircraft was screaming,” Maudeline recalled.
She was gripping the armrests, holding on for dear life, while her sister, who had never been one for flying, was screaming at the top of her lungs.
Their father had to reach around the seat in front of him and cover her sister’s mouth with his hand. Maudeline’s grandparents were sitting behind her, and they looked sick and pale. Meanwhile, her mom was panicking.
The pilot had gone silent, and the flight attendants were doing their best to hang on because they hadn’t had any time to return to their seats.
One of the flight attendants was right near them, and at first, she was trying to reassure Maudeline’s sister. But as the turbulence continued, she started to panic.
“Like, this girl is no longer in flight attendant mode,” Maudeline said.
“She’s now telling my sister if it’s time to go, it’s time to go. It’s important to accept our fate. It’s in God’s hands now. At least we’ll get to say goodbye and so on and so forth.”
Maudeline was convinced they were going to die in a plane crash. She doesn’t know how long the storm lasted, but it felt like forever. Eventually, it stopped.
Everyone was pale-faced, and a few people had thrown up. The flight attendants decided that it would be a good idea to serve snacks and drinks 20 to 25 minutes after the turbulence stopped.
“Let me tell you, I never touched my snack,” said Maudeline. “That was the most horrifying plane experience ever. Anyway, thankfully, we landed safely.”
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
