Dramatic pictures show American Airlines plane’s shattered windshield and battered nose after terrifying hailstorm that left passengers crying and vomiting
One passenger described seeing cell phones flying in the air, drinks splashing on the ceiling, and people sharing airsick bags during the flight
DRAMATIC pictures show the extent of damage to an American Airlines flight after a terrifying hailstorm battered the nose of the aircraft and shattered the windscreen.
The stormy Arizona-bound flight left its 130 passengers crying and vomiting before it made an emergency landing in El Paso, Texas.
Flight 1897 suffered horrific damage after it was struck by a hailstorm after it left San Antonio, Texas shortly before 7pm local time.
One passenger on the flight named Ezra took to Twitter to share his experience of the flight, saying: "Things were flying. Passengers throwing up. Scariest flight of my life."
One passenger, Jesus Esparza, told KENS 5 they saw lightening outside their windows mid-flight as the terrifying experience began.
Another, who managed to take photos of the damaged aircraft, : "I keep looking back at the photos and getting chills."
But they said they could see through a side window and miraculously managed to land the plane safely in El Paso.
An American Airlines spokesperson told The Sun Online: “On June 3, American Airlines flight 1897, from San Antonio to Phoenix, diverted to El Paso due to damage sustained by weather in flight.
"We commend the great work of our pilots, along with our flight attendants, who safely landed the Airbus A319 at 8.03pm.
“The aircraft is currently being evaluated by our maintenance team.
“We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans, and we are sorry for the trouble this caused.”
American Airlines added the flight was in the air for a total of two hours and six minutes and no injuries were reported.
The passengers resumed their trip to Phoenix later that night.
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