'Crew told us to pray as smoke filled plane': SpiceJet flyers recount harrowing journey

The Spicejet flight was able to make emergency landing at Hyderabad airport and its passengers were able to safely leave the aircraft

The passengers on board a Hyderabad-bound SpiceJet flight from Goa said that the flight crew asked them to start praying when the plane filled up with smoke mid-flight. The incident that took place last Wednesday came to light after videos went viral on social media. The matter is now being investigated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The SpiceJet flight was able to make an emergency landing at the Hyderabad airport and its passengers were able to safely leave the aircraft. One passenger suffered minor injuries, the DGCA said.

SpiceJet, while not sharing much in terms of details, told TOI, "The Q400 aircraft landed safely at its destination on Oct. 12 and all passengers safely disembarked."

Also Read | SpiceJet cabin smoke incident: DGCA orders fleet inspection, analysis of engine oil samples

The passengers shared their experiences on social media and said that they were scared for their lives. Srikanth M, one of the passengers who works in the IT industry in Hyderabad, shared photos from inside the plane. "They (the crew) told us to pray to God... pray for our families... it was mortifying," Srikanth was quoted as saying. "Many of my co-passengers panicked and started shrieking."

Srikanth, who was on his first-ever flight with friends, also took to Twitter to share more photos and asked the authorities to take action. He tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spiecjet's official handles and tweeted, "Respected sir or to whomsoever it may concern. Night we were returning to hyd from goa within the (SpiceJet), suddenly there was smoke all around inside the plane starting from Nagpur to Hyderabad. (sic)"

Also Read | DGCA extends restriction on SpiceJet, allowed to operate at 50% capacity till Oct 29

"The airline staff forced us to delete videos and photos of the incident... they snatched my phone when I refused," tweeted Srikanth. "But what if something happens and who would be responsible, this happened clearly due to the negligence of the crew and respective department."

SpiceJet has previously been pulled up by the DGCA over its safety record. The flight regulatory body forced the airline to cap its flights at 50% of scheduled departures in the summer.