At the end of one of the most deadly years for air travel, another flight-related panic left passengers terrified in Thailand.
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A Nok Air Boeing 737-800 was scheduled to depart Bangkok as 2024 came to an end. However, the plane returned to the terminal after failing to take off twice.
Narongsak Toyabut was a passenger on flight DD176 on Dec. 30. He filmed inside the plane as it struggled to take off from Don Mueang International Airport.
The engines stalled on the first takeoff attempt, but by the second, Toyabut knew something was really wrong.
“Second attempt began with a proper takeoff, but the engine sounded unusually loud. The plane gained speed, but I noticed that it had already passed the usual takeoff point near the first Air Force hangar,” he shared on social media.
“Then, the plane suddenly slowed down and turned around. The captain announced an engine malfunction and returned to the airport for an inspection,” Toyabut added.
2024 Ended as the Deadliest Year for Worldwide Air Travel Since 2018
The passenger said that he was “thankful” the captain “didn’t insist on flying when the plane wasn’t ready.”
“For those who weren’t there, it’s hard to explain how terrifying the situation was,” Toyabut shared. “I can’t imagine what could have happened if we had to stop mid-flight.”
The airline later released a statement about the incident, saying, “Nok Air prioritizes safety, so the plane had to be thoroughly inspected before being returned to service.”
“A replacement plane was brought in to operate the flight, causing flight DD176 to be delayed,” the statement continued. “Nok Air apologizes to all passengers for the impact of this incident.”
Despite this traumatic moment having a happy ending, 2024 still ended as the deadliest year for worldwide air travel since 2018, with 318 total fatalities, according to Bloomberg.
Last Wednesday, an Azerbaijani passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. And in South Korea on Sunday, a Jeju Air flight crashed into a concrete barrier at the end of a runway, leading to 179 fatalities.