Passengers Traumatized After Spirit Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Water Landing

Passengers on board Spirit Airlines flight 270 from Montego Bay to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were left terrified when they were instructed to don life vests for a possible emergency water landing. The incident occurred on Sunday due to a suspected mechanical issue.

The plane, carrying over 200 people, had been in the air for approximately 10 minutes when the pilot made the announcement, causing panic among the passengers. Cellphone footage obtained by NBC affiliate WTVJ captured the distressing scene as passengers hastily put on yellow life vests and clutched onto their seats.

One passenger, Will Smith, shared his ordeal with WTVJ, stating, "He told us exactly that we needed to make an emergency water landing and at that point, fear ran through my bones. Everyone on the plane panicked." Smith added that when he looked out of the window, all he could see was blue, intensifying his fear. He said, "I'm saying my prayers to die at this point, seriously. It was that traumatizing. I thought I was not going to make it."

Another passenger, Shancy Faison, recounted her moment of panic when her life vest failed to open. "They didn't specify what was wrong," she said. "We were returning back, making a U-turn back into the island, to the airport. Then shortly, I would say 10 to 15 minutes into landing before we arrived, he made an announcement saying that we were going to have an emergency water landing. That's when everyone freaked out."

Despite the chaos and fear, the plane managed to land safely back in Montego Bay. All guests were able to deplane without any reported injuries.

In a statement to WTVJ, a Spirit spokesperson reassured passengers, saying, "Safety is our top priority, and the aircraft will be thoroughly evaluated by our maintenance team. We apologize to our Guests for any inconvenience, and we arranged a new aircraft to complete the flight to Fort Lauderdale."

The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of passenger safety and the rigorous maintenance checks required to ensure smooth and secure flights. Passengers will undoubtedly be relieved to have safely made it through such a distressing experience.