Lufthansa staff demanded terrified passengers DELETE videos and photos of moment plane plummeted for ‘five seconds’ as it battled extreme turbulence on flight from Austin to Frankfurt
- Passengers flying between Austin and Frankfurt filmed and took photos of the moments following extreme turbulence on their Lufthansa flight
- Crew on board allegedly told terrified passengers to delete all photo and video evidence at least twice following the incident which left seven injured
- Adding to the shock factor, many passengers didn’t have their seatbelts on because the sign had not been triggered before the unexpected drop in altitude
Terrified passengers reeling from a 1,000 feet drop and extreme turbulence on a Lufthansa flight between Austin and Frankfurt were asked to delete all photographic and video evidence of the incident by staff.
Two passengers, one of whom was injured during the unexpected drop, revealed to Insider that a flight attendant made two attempts to ensure passengers removed evidence – the second time implying it was for the protection of people’s privacy.
Many passengers were not wearing seatbelts because the sign had not been triggered and seven people were hospitalized after the horror flight made an emergency landing.
Footage and pictures surfacing on social media following the flight showed the aftermath of the drop with food and personal items strewn across the cabin.
Terrified passengers reeling from a 1,000 feet drop and extreme turbulence on a Lufthansa flight between Austin and Frankfurt were asked to delete all photographic and video evidence of the incident by staff
The flight landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport around 9pm, just three hours into 10.5-hour flight from Austin to Germany. Seven passengers were taken to the hospital
Rolanda Schmidt was one of seven injured during the flight and told the outlet that she hit her head on a plastic tray table case on the seat in front.
She later flew out of her seat as the plane quickly ascended hitting her head for a second time.
‘It was one of those moments where within five-to-ten minutes of processing, you knew you were going to die and we didn’t know if we were going to make it safely anywhere,’ Schmidt said.
‘It felt like the insides of your body were being shaken out.’
Schmidt said she sustained a concussion, badly bruised arm and potentially fractured her hip in contrast to the ‘minor injuries’ cited by Lufthansa.
As the plane made an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport a flight attendant said over the loudspeaker: ‘delete all your pictures and videos.’
‘I think we were all just like, ‘What?!” Schmidt said shocked by the request.
Five minutes later Schmidt claimed the attendant made another announcement demanding photos and videos be deleted, this time softening the request by saying it was for the privacy of passenger’s.
‘That’s not the way that it came across, saying ‘delete all of your pictures’ and all of that,’ Schmidt said.
Another passenger, who remained nameless, also backed Schmidt’s claims saying that the German flag carrier staff had in fact made the request.
Lufthansa have not indicated what may have cause the turbulence and DailyMail.com have approached them for comment citing Schmidt’s claims.
In the wake of the incident, passengers recounted the terrifying moment their Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt plummeted 1,000 feet after being hit by lightning saying everything went into ‘slow motion’ and ‘it was like being in a movie.’
Seven people were hospitalized after the horrifying experience which prompted an emergency landing in Washington DC.
Susan Zimmerman, who was on the flight, told Good Morning America that she was ‘shocked’ adding that it was the first time many, including staff, had experienced something of this magnitude.
‘I don’t think even the people that were on board, even the cabin crew, I don’t even think any of them have experienced that,’ she told the broadcaster.
‘This was shocking. It was kind of like you’re in slow motion.
Passengers recounted the terrifying moment their Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt plummeted 1,000 feet after being hit by lightning. Susan Zimmerman said she was ‘shocked’
‘You just see everything – like in a movie where you see everything lift and all of a sudden it just comes right back down – it felt like five seconds of falling and then there was shaking.’
Broken glass and debris lay scattered among the cabins as passengers came to grips with the traumatic wave of turbulence they experienced at 37,000 feet while flying over Tennessee.
The flight landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport around 9pm, just three hours into the 10.5-hour flight to Germany. Seven passengers were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.
One man, who claimed his wife was on the flight, said ‘people who didn’t have their seat belts fastened got hurt mostly cause it came as surprise.’
A photo the man’s wife sent him shows food trays, and containers, silverware, and pamphlets scattered through the vestibule.
A passenger, who spoke anonymously with the Washington Post, said food ‘went flying into the air, hitting and even damaging the ceiling of the plane.’
Passengers sitting in the row in front were heavily bleeding and wheeled off the plane following the chaos.
Another person whose sister and brother-in-law were on the flight said it was ‘exceptionally scary, [with] lots of broken glass and screaming and multiple injuries,’ according to The Sun.
The airline offered passengers a link to request a refund after angry passengers took to social media to express their distress: ‘Many of our plans have been affected, our clothes are ruined, and we definitely expect far more than just a hotel tonight.’
The flight landed at DC airport three hours into its journey – the airline providing hotel accommodation to passengers
‘We would like to get immediate help and compensation for the catastrophic forced landing incident involving LH469,’ one passenger wrote.
The airline also provided hotel accommodation for displaced passengers.
Another passenger, however, thanked the crew: ‘@lufthansa thank you so much for your incredible care of Flt 469 tonight! My family will be eternally grateful for the skill of the pilot and co-pilot and care from the crew.’
The FAA is investigating the incident.
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