Airline Captain to Nervous Passengers: ‘Pray’

Passengers on a recent flight from Australia to Malaysia got more than they bargained for when, about an hour after liftoff, the plane began shaking violently.

Usually, when something out of the ordinary happens on a flight, you look to the crew to see how they are reacting. If they are calm and business as usual, everything is likely ok. In this instance, the pilot urged the passengers to “pray” for their survival. He asked for prayers not once, but twice.

Cell phone footage of the incident shows the plan vibrating and rattling like crazy:

The shaking started after a loud bang, and lasted for 90 agonizing minutes. One passenger posted “I thought I might die. Today was my beginning the trip back to Perth. Luckily, I survived.”

Adding to the fears of the passengers were the words from the captain and the flight crew.

One passenger told NBC News that “the pilot asked us to pray twice and said he was scared, too.”

And it’s not everyday the pilot tells people to BOLO to make sure the engine doesn’t catch fire.

Passengers on the left side of the plane were asked by the pilot “to keep an eye on it,” as he could not see the engine well from the cabin.

“The only thing I could think of was my family, because it’s the first day of Eid celebration,” passenger Alia Abdul Rahim told NBC News. “All I wanted to do was go home and hug my parents.”

The flight landed back in Perth two hours later, shaking the entire time, passengers said. They remained in a bracing position while the plane landed, which was reportedly smooth.

“Thank God the pilot and the crew did a great job,” Rahim told NBC News.

No one was injured during the incident, though it seemed some passengers were struggling after getting off the plane.

According to reports, one of the engines failed, which is a scary ordeal but not necessarily one that spells certain doom. Thankful they made it home in one piece! Check out the report from NBC:

Read more about the harrowing flight HERE.