Two more accounts from the local media:
An Emirates flight flying over Goa averted tragedy on Sunday, and landed safely in Kochi.
The Boeing 777 - flying from Dubai to Kochi with 350 passengers on board - dropped from a height of 20,000 to 1,500 feet, possibly due to turbulence caused by rains in the Goa-Kerala region.
Miraculously, the pilot was able to regain control before impact - after dropping 18,500 feet.
Plane drops 18,500 ft over Goa, but lands safely
The airline claims the drop in height was only about 200 feet; but TIMES NOW's DGCA sources say the free fall was much greater, around 18,000 feet.
According to sources, the pilot has said the plane on its way from Dubai to Kochi hit the towering cumulo nimbus cloud leading to the free fall from 20,000 ft to just 2,000 ft, (somewhere between Goa and Kochi) before recovering and regaining height. South west monsoons are scheduled to hit the Kerala coast in next 15 days, so this explanation is at least plausible.
Flight passengers whom TIMES NOW spoke to at Kochi said those who were not belted into their seats were thrown upwards, overhead hatches opened up and baggage tumbled out, compounding the dangerous situation. "We were sure this was the end, that all of us would die," said one harried passenger.
'Emirates pilot couldn't avoid Cumulonimbus cloud'- TIMESNOW.tv - Latest Breaking News, Big News Stories, News Videos