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An Illinois mom on board an American Airlines plane sent a harrowing message to her kids fearing for her life as the cabin “smelled like fire” – before she was forced to “jump from the wing” following an emergency landing.
Tessa Springer was on board Saturday’s early morning flight out of St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, Mark Springer, for a work trip – but the journey was mired in problems before the plane even left the ground.
Passengers heard a “horrible noise” coming from the back of the CRJ-900 plane as pilots on the Philadelphia-bound flight tried to fire up the engines – before the captain said they “can’t get it started,” Mark Springer told KMOV.
The jet eventually took off for Philadelphia two hours later – but just 15 minutes into the flight, the plane “felt like it hit … like a car when you slam on the brakes,” according to Mark Springer.
“Maybe a minute later, the plane just kind of goes boom and drops,” he added.
“All of the oxygen masks fall and we just kind of looked at each other like ‘Is this serious? Is this real.’”
The cabin turned hazy and the mom, fearing for her life, messaged her children, “Problem on our plane, love you guys,” according to screenshots she shared on Facebook.
“I was like, ‘We’re going to die.’”
One person in the family group chat, known only as ES, messaged back, “Wdym problem on the plane? Where are you flying again? What’s the problem on the plane?”
Tessa Springer, who lives in Waterloo, said the plane “smelled like fire” and the moments before the emergency landing “felt like the last minutes of [her] life.”
“Mark held me and told me he loved me,” she wrote on Facebook.
Passengers were told to release their seatbelts, “get out” and “leave belongings” by panicked cabin crew.
Springer later revealed the plane landed safely – but she had to evacuate via one of its wings.
“Mark and I got diverted to separate exits,” she wrote on Facebook. “A gracious traveler helped me jump from the wing. Then we all ran into an open field and waited for transportation back to the terminal.”
American Airlines confirmed the plane, operated by PSA Airlines, landed safely after an “odor” was reported on board.
“The aircraft landed safely at [St Louis] and was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,” a spokesperson told KSDK.
“We apologize to our customers for their experience and thank our team members for their professionalism.”
Passengers received $12 food vouchers as a form of compensation – but fellow passenger, Olivia Clancy, said the paltry offer felt “like a slap in the face.”