A Japan Airlines flight en route from Shanghai to Tokyo descended sharply by nearly 26,000 feet, leaving passengers in shock as oxygen masks dropped and fear of a crash gripped the cabin. The emergency occurred on Monday, prompting an urgent landing at Kansai Airport in Osaka.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737 operated by Japan Airlines in partnership with its budget subsidiary Spring Japan, was carrying 191 people when it plunged from around 36,000 feet to below 10,500 feet in under ten minutes due to an unspecified mechanical issue. While no injuries were reported, the emotional toll was evident.

Many passengers took to social media after landing to share their distress. “My legs are still shaking,” one wrote. “I feel like my body is here but my soul hasn’t caught up.” Another person said the descent began suddenly around 7 pm, and that they watched in fear as the altitude dropped drastically. One traveler even confessed to writing out their will mid-flight, fearing the worst.

After safely landing in Osaka, passengers were offered a compensation of 15,000 yen (around $104) for travel inconvenience and a night’s accommodation. Authorities have launched a probe to determine the exact cause of the incident.

The Boeing 737 involved in the scare is part of a series already under global scrutiny. Similar models have been part of fatal incidents in recent years. In 2023, a Jeju Air 737-800 crashed during landing in South Korea, killing 179 people. In 2022, another 737 operated by China Eastern Airlines crashed, claiming 132 lives.

Closer to home, Air India has recently seen two alarming incidents. On June 14, a Delhi-Vienna flight dropped 900 feet mid-air before eventually landing safely. This happened just days after a tragic crash in Ahmedabad involving another Air India flight, where only one person survived. The airline confirmed both pilots from the Vienna-bound flight have been taken off duty pending investigation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now reviewing both cases, with Air India stating the incidents were reported as per regulatory norms.