Turkish Airlines Passengers Endure Three Terrifying Landing Attempts in Tunisia Storm

Woopsies! Three Landing Attempts Turn a Tunisia Arrival Into Chaos

Woopsies indeed. Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tunisia got far more turbulence than anyone ordered when stormy weather turned the descent into Tunis-Carthage International Airport into a three-attempt ordeal.

The September 10 flight had reportedly been smooth until descent, when severe turbulence began rocking the aircraft as the crew tried to land in Tunis. Passenger Marina Maiskaya, who shared video from inside the cabin, said each approach became more frightening and described the third attempt as feeling as though the plane had suddenly started to drop.

And judging from the sound of the cabin, nobody needed an announcement explaining that things were getting rough. Passengers can be heard screaming as the plane shakes through the storm, with at least one frightened traveler convinced the situation was about to go very wrong.

The crew made three attempts to land at Tunis-Carthage before abandoning the approach. Rather than continue pushing through the weather, the flight was diverted south to Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport, where it landed safely.

So no, the pilots were not out there “terking around.” The storm was doing plenty of that on its own. Once the approaches stopped making sense, the crew did exactly what passengers desperately wanted by getting out of the mess and taking the aircraft somewhere it could land safely.

The passenger footage is still a wild watch, though. What begins as a rough descent quickly becomes the kind of cabin soundtrack that makes you grip the armrest from the safety of your own couch.

Turkish Airlines Passengers Encounter Severe Turbulence During Tunisia Landing Attempts

The footage captures passengers reacting as the Tunisia-bound flight encounters severe turbulence during its attempted arrival in Tunis before the aircraft is diverted and lands safely at Enfidha-Hammamet.

Source: Passenger account from Marina Maiskaya; Al Jazeera and CBS News reporting.