“An AirAsia flight headed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was forced to turn back to Perth, Australia on Sunday morning following a severe engine problem.
Passengers described the wild ride as being like a washing machine with rapid shaking and rattling following a huge bang that took place around 75 minutes into the six-hour journey. The shaking, framed as something of an engine seizure, was reported to have been so violent that the pilot – even with 44 years of experience – called on passengers to pray.
Passengers were also asked to keep an eye on the engine outside their window, as the pilot did not have a good view from the cabin.
No one was injured during the terrifying trip on the budget airline, although marine emergency services north of Perth were placed on standby in case a water landing was required, Australia`s local ABC reported.”
Fox News
When an airplane suffers a severe engine problem and cabin is shaking like a washing machine it`s perfectly understandable if all the passengers pray, and beg the Almighty for deliverance. If the plane was rocking and rolling I`d be rolling down the aisle and praying like a holy roller on crack.
But the last thing in the world I want to hear from the captain is a request for the passengers to pray, not once, but twice. In effect he was confessing to his passengers that he was scared shi*less, and that they shouldn`t rely on his experience and expertise, but pray for a miracle.
For a pilot to ask for his passengers to pray when things get a little bit dicey is just as distressing if he had shouted “Allahu Akbar!” The only acceptable form of prayer in the cockpit is silent prayer, for a pilot to make any allusion to a higher power is unacceptable, period!
You get what you pay for, if you fly on a budget airline don`t be surprised if the captain asks the passengers to pray and keep an eye on the sputtering engine outside their window.
After all the negative publicity that this captain has brought on AirAsia, this budget airline doesn`t have a prayer of remaining in business for long.
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