That is how an Air New Zealand passenger described the turbulence on a flight through a MetService red wind warning area over Canterbury on Sunday morning, which left many on the flight badly shaken.
The Airbus A320 flight from Auckland to Dunedin (NZ673) hit severe turbulence while travelling down "the spine" of the Southern Alps in North Canterbury, and the plane had to make a sharp left-hand turn out towards the east coast of the South Island in a bid to escape it.
The passenger said they had been flying for about an hour when the turbulence struck.
"And then suddenly, honestly, it was just the most terrifying experience.
"Thank God everyone was buckled in because people would have smashed into the roof, and not just once.
"There were two or three massive drops — I would say at least 50m or 100m, like straight down.
"But also, the plane was thrown from side to side and it was so bad and so violent, people in the window seats were banging their heads on the wall of the plane, and some others got smashed forward into the seat in front.
"There was lots of screaming and crying. And just in my aisle, in front and behind me, I had three people vomiting the whole way.
"So there would have been a lot more than just the two or three people that I saw on the plane."
The turbulence was so bad, he lost track of time, he said.
"It’s hard to say how long it lasted, but I would say four or five minutes — four or five minutes of absolute pure terror."
He said he shared an airport shuttle into Dunedin with a female passenger, who had noticeable injuries.
"She had an ice pack on her head, and she was going to the hospital to get checked out.
"It was an absolutely terrifying experience, and I’ve been flying for 30 years, all over the world.
"But what really bugs me is the fact that there were all those wind warnings in place — especially a red warning for Canterbury — and the pilots flew right along the spine of the Southern Alps, right through the red zone, instead of going around it."
He was upset the airline crew did not check to see if people were OK, and there was never an apology, even after the plane landed safely in Dunedin.
"That’s where I got really angry. There was no acknowledgement of what just happened, and I think that’s not OK."
Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said the safety and wellbeing of customers and crew was always the airline’s "utmost priority".
"We know turbulence can feel unsettling.
"Our pilots and cabin crew are highly trained to manage these situations, and aircraft are designed to safely operate through turbulence."
He said standard checks were conducted on the A320 at Dunedin Airport to make sure the aircraft had not been damaged, and it continued on its scheduled return to Auckland soon after.
