Before nose diving and jumping into any conclusions, the plane managed to land safely.
Unlike the horrific mountain fire, the debris found on eroded and scarred land, with the barest of bones to find, the passengers and crew from the Flight MH2664 are all alive.
Thanks to the quick wits and proper decision making of the pilots on board, the Boeing 737-800 China Eastern Airlines tragedy was avoided.
Details of the Flight
Whether it’s a coincidence or not, the aircraft in question was a Boeing 737-800 as well.
Flight MH2664 had taken off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 3 April, at 2:30pm.
Its destination was Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia.
7,000ft Sharp Dive in Seconds
Everything had been smooth sailing during the initial take-off and flight.
However, 30 minutes into the flight, the plane took a sudden “sharp dive”.
A passenger shared on Facebook that she had “floated” out of her seat because her seatbelt was unfastened, and there had been no lights to signal that they should have fastened their seatbelts.
She remembers hearing some passengers screaming and crying as they feared for their lives.
According to the Flight Radar application, MH2664 had been cruising at the altitude of 31,000ft before it dropped to 24,000ft “in a matter of seconds”.
Afterwards, the flight made a U-turn, circled above Malacca a few times before it returned to KLIA’s tarmac.
It landed safely at 5:03pm.
Malaysia Airlines Confirms MH2664’s Safe Landing
In a statement issued by Malaysia Airlines (MAS), it confirmed that the flight turned back due to technical issues, which was only worsened by the bad weather conditions.
It stated, “As a precautionary measure, the pilot made the decision to return to Kuala Lumpur in the interest of passenger safety,” before adding, “The safety of our crew and passengers remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines.”
Just a word of gratitude wouldn’t suffice in thanking the pilot for their quick thinking.
Honestly though, most passengers are probably going to sear off any Boeing 737-800 planes, if the previous incident hasn’t already made them wary.
Investigations Are Ongoing
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has asserted that it will be reviewing the airline’s Flight Data Monitoring System.
On 5 April, CAMM confirmed that an “air turnback” had been conducted by Flight MH2664.
CAMM has also been working with Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) to address all the technical safety measures in accordance with the safety procedures and regulations laid out, which includes the pilot responses and the airworthiness process for the aircraft type.
As for investigations into the black box of the aircraft, “preliminary data has shown correct responses by the operating crew following the issue onboard”.
However, it has yet to clarify what technical issues or design flaws that might have caused this sudden drop in altitude.
Featured Image: Flightradar24