We thought we were going to die, say Dragonair passengers
PASSENGERS on board the aborted Dragonair flight from Hong Kong told yesterday how they feared they would die as hail and lightning pelted and buffeted their plane on the nightmare journey to Beijing.
The Lockheed TriStar 11, which was carrying the British Ambassador to Beijing, Sir Robin McLaren, and 300 other passengers, had its nose and cockpit windows shattered during the storm on Saturday.
Passengers screamed in horror as the aircraft, Flight KA330, repeatedly bucked and swayed, plunging many metres at one stage.
''The only thing holding us in our seats was our seat belts,'' said Jordana Estes, 42, who was flying with friends for a holiday in the Chinese capital.
She said the cabin lights constantly flashed on and off and the air pressure kept changing dramatically.
''We had already resolved that we would die. Lightning kept flashing, illuminating the interior. It was terrifying.'' Catherine Barber, a 28-year-old on a business trip for a British engineering company, said she did not want to repeat the journey but had to fly to Beijing to complete her business.
