There are some things you expect to potentially happen on a plane.
- If there’s an emergency, the crew might talk in a secret code – here’s what they may be saying
- Your ears might start to hurt, especially if you have a cold – here’s how to stop the pain from starting
- The in-flight announcements may be difficult to understand – here’s why that happens
- You might hear a sound that’s been compared to a barking dog – here’s what that sound is
What Actually Happened
What you probably don’t expect is for a ceiling panel to collapse while you’re mid-flight. But that’s exactly what happened to passengers on Delta flight 2417 last month, while the Boeing 717 was on its way from Atlanta to Chicago on April 14th.
The Viral Video
The moment, of course, was captured on a passenger’s phone, which was then turned into a TikTok video. The clip was captured by Thomas Witschy and posted onto the social media site by ABC News7. It shows four passengers holding up the ceiling panel with their fingers. Wires and other plane components can be seen in the space where the panel had been. The last clip shows bright yellow/green tape criss-crossing the ceiling and keeping it in place.
Here’s the video:
@abc7newsbayarea Passengers aboard a Chicago-bound Delta Airlines flight were forced to hold up a ceiling panel after it partially collapsed on on April 14. Thomas Witschy, who captured this video, said he and two other passengers held it up from their seats until the crew “could get it scotch taped back into position.” The flight returned to Atlanta for cabin maintenance. #planetok #airplane #US #delta #maintenance #cabin #cabincrew #fyp #fypシ #abc7newsbayarea
Passenger Statements
In a statement, Witschy said the first thing that happened was that he heard a sound above his head.
“Upon takeoff there was like loud banging sounds and then it’s a really loud bang. After we had fully taken off, the entire panel came off and you could see sort of exposed wiring,” he told Inside Edition.
He also told People that the panel “came crashing down, nearly hitting an older woman seated in the aisle seat in the row ahead of me in 18B.”
Witschy, who was on his way home to Chicago, said the panel appeared to be holding on from one screw in the corner.
He and some passengers across from him helped hold up the panel. Since the flight was still ascending at the time, the flight crew had to remain seated and couldn’t offer any assistance.
Witschy said they held the panel up for about 15 minutes until the attendants could investigate. Then they kept holding it for another half hour until it was affixed with the tape.
The flight then returned to Atlanta so the plane could receive cabin maintenance. A spokesperson for Delta said there were no injuries, and the flight departed on another aircraft after about a two-hour delay.
Compensation
Of course, everyone wanted to know if the “hero panel holders” were compensated in any way. They were.
“The flight attendants were mostly very nice and kept offering us free drinks for holding it up in the flight but everyone was like, ‘It’s 10 a.m., we’re okay,’ ” he told People. And by the end of the day, those who had been seated around the panel each received 10,000 frequent flyer miles.
“Delta thanks our customers for their patience and cooperation. We apologize for the delay in their travels,” Delta said in a statement.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
