‘Everyone was crying’: Passengers heard ‘boom’ before emergency landing at CLT

CHARLOTTE — An American Airlines flight out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport bound for Seattle had just lifted off before passengers said they heard a loud boom.

More than 100 passengers were on board Flight 2775 on Sunday when things quickly took a turn. A passenger told anchor Susanna Black that the situation got so dire that she wasn’t sure she’d make it off alive.

Camryn Raynor, 19, was on the plane.

“I’ve been on over 30 flights in my life, and I have never experienced this,” Raynor said.

[ALSO READ: Passenger says he heard ‘pop’ before American Airlines emergency landing]

Raynor shot a video of the event when she passed through Sunday on her way home to Seattle. She was visiting family in Ohio.

“As soon as we started taking off, we heard a huge boom,” Raynor said. “One of the guys looking out another window said the engine was sparking and smoking, and I was like, ‘That’s not good.’”

Raynor said, according to the flight crew, the engine failed and the plane had to stay in the air for an hour before it got clearance for an emergency landing.

“Everyone was crying, praying out loud, trying to call their families,” she said.

Raynor said the scariest part was “just knowing something worse could happen.”

The pilot eventually landed the plane safely.

“I’ve never seen so many people happy to land,” she said. “Everyone was clapping and cheering.”

Raynor said the flight crew handled the situation well but is disappointed with American Airlines, because she said all that the passengers got as consolation was a meal voucher.

“I was pretty upset about it, and my family is too,” she said.

Raynor was hoping for at least flight credit for the traumatic experience and hopes American Airlines reconsiders the compensation.

American Airlines sent the following statement:

“On June 27, American Airlines flight 2775 with service from Charlotte (CLT) to Seattle (SEA) returned to CLT shortly after takeoff due to a possible mechanical issue. The aircraft landed safely at 9:57 a.m. local time, without incident, and taxied to the gate. We changed aircraft and the flight re-departed for SEA at 2:44 p.m. EST. We never want to disrupt our customer’s travel plans and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

(WATCH BELOW: Charlotte-bound flight makes emergency landing)

Charlotte-bound flight makes emergency landing Charlotte-bound flight makes emergency landing

©2021 Cox Media Group