A burning smell filled the cabin, he said.
According to reports, the plane descended about 15,000 feet in about three minutes. Data from FlightAware, a flight tracking website. Data showed it dropped another 4,000 feet over the next few minutes.
“It was really scary,” said Hove, associate dean of the University of Florida’s School of Journalism.
The Embraer ERJ145 took off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 3:27 pm, about 40 minutes ago, according to FlightAware data. Over the next 22 minutes, the pilot climbed to a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet, over South Carolina and eventually to Georgia. It soon turned into what Hove described as an “escape from hell.”
In a statement, American Airlines apologized to Hove and 49 other passengers on the plane. The airline said the three crew members received signs of a “possible pressurization problem” during the flight and “immediately and safely descended to a lower altitude”.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. In a statement, the agency said pilots were trained to fly below 12,000 feet in the event of a pressurization problem, at which altitude supplemental oxygen would not be required. The pilot then performs a “controlled descent”.
Hove, 39, was not supposed to be on the plane. However, a storm delayed a flight departing from Reagan National Airport, and a delay missed a connection in Charlotte, forcing him to settle for a later trip.
Hove said Flight 5916 departed as normal. Departure was delayed by several minutes, and the crew and passengers encountered some weather-related trouble during the climb. But it was nothing out of the ordinary.
After a drink service, while cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet, Hove looked out the window and watched the clouds below. Then his ears popped out, which he would later learn had happened to many of the other passengers. A split second later, while Hove was wondering if he was joking or practicing, the mask fell from above.
“People were looking at each other,” he said. However, flight attendants roamed the plane and insisted passengers wear masks. As Hove was fiddling with the mask, a uniformed pilot, who had traveled as a passenger and was sitting across the aisle, reached out and pulled on the cord to activate the mask.
Then the plane started to fall.
“It didn’t feel like a roller coaster ride, but it felt like a descent,” said Hove.
With no information from the crew, Hove’s mind raced with the idea of taking him to a “crazy place.” Why didn’t the pilots tell them what was going on? Did the pilots put on their masks in time, or did they pass out from lack of oxygen? Were the passengers flying aimlessly?
“I just don’t know. It was really hard,” he said.
Hove, who was wearing a mask, could not, or at least should not, speak. So he typed the question into a notes app on his phone, reached across the aisle to show it to the off-duty pilot, who kindly answered. Through that exchange, Hove learned that the burning smell is normal and a byproduct of the chemical reactions needed to rejuvenate the oxygen system. Hove said he directed passengers to the off-duty pilot’s phone screen to ensure information was passed on to other passengers.
“Having his expertise was actually very reassuring at a time when information is so scarce,” he says.
Hove knew the odds of cell phone reception were low, but he tried to text his mother and sister anyway. First, he told them of the burning smell. The second is a mask. He made sure to tell them that he loved them. No messages were received during the flight.
The plane leveled off at just over 10,000 feet, and about 15 minutes after Hove’s ears first popped, one of the pilots came out on the intercom, potentially depressurizing the cabin. He explained that he had entered a controlled descent. Everything should have been fine.
And that was information Hove made sure to pass on to his mother and sister. After maintaining altitude for about 15 minutes, the pilot descended and landed at Gainesville Regional Airport at 4:51 pm, about 40 minutes behind schedule.
Hove said there were few celebrations.
“One clapped,” he said. “I think people were ready to be on the scene.”
A hob is also included. Like many others, he told the crew how grateful they were for keeping their cool under pressure and keeping their passengers safe. He did so in as few words as possible for fear of starting to cry.
Hove got off the plane and called an Uber as soon as possible. As he climbed into the SUV, Hove told the driver that the plane was in trouble and warned him that he might get sick. And he did. After 5 minutes he calmed himself down.
Hove said he had to travel to Philadelphia later this month to attend a business meeting. Then he will fly to New York to watch the US Open. He’s not looking forward to it, but he’s going anyway.
“I like to travel around, so it’s not going to prevent me from flying,” he said. “So we’re fine.”
