‘We will die’: Panic erupts as Turkish Airlines flight plummets mid-storm over Tunisia

A Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tunisia experienced a terrifying mid-air descent during a storm, leaving passengers in panic. The incident occurred on Thursday, 10 September, as Turkish Airlines flight TK 661 struggled to land at Tunis-Carthage International Airport in poor weather conditions.

Passenger Marina Maiskaya, who captured the harrowing footage, recounted the normalcy of the journey before the descent began. As the crew attempted to land three times, the cabin shook violently, culminating in a sharp drop on the third attempt that felt like a brief free fall. Passengers screamed in fear, repeating their belief they would not survive.

The audio captured in the video featured a loud humming sound as the plane pushed through the storm, while passengers braced themselves in their seats. One passenger, identified as Marina, expressed she had never felt such fear while flying, noting her mother was also onboard. As the pilots prepared for a fourth attempt at landing, the fear in the cabin intensified, with passengers pleading for the plane to divert to a different airport.

Eventually, the aircraft was redirected to Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport, located roughly 60 miles (about 100km) south of Tunis. Passengers reportedly applauded as the plane landed safely. The authenticity of the video, while widely circulated online, has not been independently verified by news outlets reporting on the incident.