If you didn't already have a fear of flying, this story might just give you one.
Dozens of passengers in India were left bleeding into their oxygen masks when pilots reportedly forgot to maintain cabin pressure during a flight, the Washington Post reports.
The Jet Airways passenger plane was on its way from Mumbai to Jaipur when it unexpectedly had to turn back midway through the trip. The flight crew had neglected to flip a switch, and the cabin was losing pressure.
Many passengers were having difficulty breathing. Some felt like they were going to pass out.
"As a result, oxygen masks got deployed," transport official Lalit Gupta told the Hindustan Times.
Still, by 15 minutes into the flight, many people were "bleeding profusely" from their noses and ears, according to passenger Satish Nair.
"Everyone was in a state of shock," Satish told the Washington Post.
Out of the 166 people on board the flight, 30 had to receive medical treatment, according to India's Ministry of Civil Aviation. The flight's crew members have been taken off duty, pending further investigation.
Satish Nair was on Jet Airways Flight 9W 697 for a business trip. He says he noticed something was wrong shortly after takeoff, when he felt a stinging sensation in his ears — "like needles," he told the Washington Post.
Satish thought he might have a common cold. But a few minutes later, he had difficulty breathing.
Just when Satish felt like he would pass out, an oxygen mask dropped out of the ceiling.
He put it on successfully, but then he began to bleed from his nose.
Satish tweeted about the experience with photos of himself and the other passengers, all with oxygen masks on. Many of them were also bleeding.
Many of the passengers had been napping at the start of the flight. But as the cabin lost pressure, they woke up confused and panicked, Satish said.
The woman next to him "had severe, excruciating pain in her ear." Meanwhile, no flight announcement had been made.
In fact, the flight attendants looked as confused as everyone else.
Finally, about 15 minutes into the flight, an attendant got on the loudspeaker to instruct everyone to put their masks on.
"During the climb, [the] crew forgot to select [a] switch to maintain cabin pressure,” ministry deputy director general Lalit Gupta told the Hindustan Times.
As a result, the cabin depressurized shortly after takeoff — a situation that left passengers gasping for oxygen.
"Worst incident in my life," Satish said of the experience.
By the time the flight announcement was made and everyone had put on their oxygen masks, many people were "bleeding profusely."
In fact, 30 out of 166 passengers on board bled from their noses or ears.
The plane turned back to Mumbai, but it was a long, stressful hour before it successfully landed back at Mumbai Airport.
Passengers disembarked the plane, where there were no ambulances or paramedics waiting to help them on the tarmac.
Another passenger, Melissa Tixeira, filmed the scene after landing, only for one crewman to yell at her to stop recording.
Once passengers made it to the terminal, they finally received medical attention. All passengers were ultimately safe.
Some, like Satish, refused medical treatment in favor of boarding another flight.
But many were still shaken by the incident.
The crew of flight 9W 697 has been taken off duty, and an investigation has begun, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
