Whenever I read of an incident on a plane - whether a plummet, a drop, a passenger panic or whatever - followed by the inevitable airline spokesman (who wasn't there) shrugging it off as a momentary malfunction exaggerated by the press, further followed by know-alls (who also weren't there - but you've just posted, so you will know who you all are) similarly sneering at the reports, my mind goes back to the time I was a pax on a BA flight NY-LHR.
Over the Atlantic the cabin was filled with klaxons and a shouty recorded voice telling us to prepare to land on water and to adopt the brace position. The passengers not unreasonably did their fair share of screaming; two of the cabin crew, a man and a woman, raced up and down the aisle yelling 'We're going to die'. Far from offering comfort to pax, one of them, the lady, defecated herself.
After what seemed like ages, but was probably no more than ten seconds, the alarm was switched off and the captain came on to explain that it had been activated by a malfunction. Free drinks all round.
When the plane landed, we were met by a lot of BA staff who shepherded us through some back corridors. Our bags were delivered to a lounge and we were escorted out of the terminal, away from other passengers and the press. We were told BA would be in touch with us to compensate for our experience
Next day, in spite of BA's efforts to hush it up, the story appeared in several papers. Exactly as it had happened. I could not fault the accuracy of the reports. But it was firmly denied by BA that there had been any panic on board. The shouty warning had hardly gone off, it was claimed, before it was shut down. The cabin crew remained in full control at all times. The passengers knew different. A few days later came a letter of apology from BA, some chocolates, wine, and air miles.
So when I read the 'official' account, according to the airline, of similar incidents, far from blaming the messenger - the press - as so many of you are so quick to do, thereby playing into the errant airline's hands, I prefer to weigh up my own experience of what happened to me.