Passengers 'float' in their seats as Malaysia Airlines flight 'dives'

Passengers on a Malaysia Airlines flight feared for their lives as the plane allegedly dived 7,000 feet last Sunday (April 3) afternoon.

One of the passengers, Halimah Nasoh, took to Facebook that evening to recount her experience.

The Boeing 737-800 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 2.30pm, and was travelling towards Tawau before it took a "sharp dive" about 30 minutes into the journey, New Straits Times reported.

According to Halimah's Flight Radar mobile app, the aircraft was cruising at 31,000ft before it dropped to 24,000ft, causing her to "float" out of her seat as her seatbelt was unfastened.

When this happened, some of the passengers screamed and cried, she said.

"The plane was unstable for about 10 minutes and took another dive, but it was not as bad as the first drop," Halimah added.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/halimahnasoha/posts/10159579466456067[/embed]

Despite the scare, the plane later circled above Melaka before returning to KLIA and made a safe landing at 5.03pm.

"Flight MH2664 from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau on April 3 performed an air turn back, due to technical issues with the aircraft, compounded by bad weather en route," Malaysia Airlines said in a statement.

The pilot made the decision to return to the airport in the interest of passenger safety, the airline explained.

Following the incident, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) said it will review Malaysia Airlines' internal flight data monitoring system.

"Preliminary data have shown correct responses by the operating crew following the issue onboard," said CAAM chief executive officer Datuk Chester Voo.

CAAM will continue to monitor the situation and will not compromise on issues that could potentially jeopardise the safety and security of airlines’ operations and the public, he added.

[embed]https://twitter.com/CAA_Malaysia/status/1511275634286333952[/embed]

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amierul@asiaone.com