Traveling by air has always been a very difficult task for me. Since my childhood I had developed a fear for air travel. It was in the month of May last year, when on receiving a call from my mother, I had to rush to Mumbai to be at the side of my seriously ill grandmother. Since there was no other mode of transport, I was compelled to take a flight from Delhi to Mumbai in flight number IA 814.
When the flight took off, I was in mortal fear and held my breath fearing the worst. An old woman sitting beside me sensed my nervousness and tried to console me. In a moment we were air borne. I had a strange sensation of butterflies in my stomach, which made me uneasy. To divert my mind I settled down with a Sidney Sheldon novel, which kept me engrossed for about an hour. The old woman beside me broke the ice chatting about her family and children. She also laughed at her first experience of air travel, which now for her was a thing of the past. We were served refreshments by the airhostesses and had just about finished, when we felt a big jolt. The cup on the tray fell onto my lap splashing to the ground making it messy. As if in explanation the public address system came to life. “This is your captain speaking. The plane has entered into a thick cluster of clouds causing turbulence. One engine has developed a snag, which is being taken care of. Please do not panic and fasten your safety belts immediately. We shall overcome this problem shortly”.
The panic button had inadvertently been pressed, for instead of inspiring confidence it caused great apprehension. I looked around to see fear stalking everyone’s face. While some were whispering their doubts about the possibility of the plane running on the single engine, the others were busy tightening their belts and praying silently. The jolts and bumps increased our trauma. People were now clinging desperately to their seats and praying loudly. The old woman beside me was a mental wreck and I found myself consoling and reassuring her. Suddenly tiie plane was in a spin, losing considerable height instantly. This made me feel sick, I found some people vomiting. In this tense and nerve racking scenario, the public address system again crackled to life, “This is your captain speaking we have an emergency. The second engine of the plane has also developed a snag. We are now preparing for an emergency landing at Santa Cruz airport Mumbai. Please don’t panic. Follow all emergency instructions and you shall be safe”. The message was short, but the impact was stunning. Though he sounded optimistic, the lurking danger of death appeared imminent.
Image Source: india-outbound.com
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We instinctively obeyed. There was a loud thud as the plane landed on its belly. It seemed as if all hell broke lose, with people trampling over each other to jump out though the emergency hatch. I found myself pushed through, after which I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a hospital with my parents beside me. Luckily for me, I had escaped unscratched and was immediately discharged. This ordeal not only overcame my fear for air travel, but also made me more self-confident.