Originally Posted by
Jason R
......June of 1993,..... Maybe around the 2nd or 3rd of the month?
When the plane dropped, the flight was level but then the plane went into a nose dive, that was very steep. The plane lost all internal and external lights and both engines also lost power.
As everyone was freaking out and the plane was still in a dive, I could hear the engines trying to turn back on.
.....when he pulled out, he put the plane into a very steep climb. It seemed much steeper than take off. I’m assuming he may possibly have been trying to clear something. Maybe a mountain? When the plane lost all power, everything was pitch black. The plane, outside the plane and because we were over the desert, there were no lights at all.
The NTSB keeps a pretty complete database of incidents going back well past 1993. When I looked, there was nothing related to this incident you described. I'm not suggesting it didn't happen, but perhaps what did happen didn't rise to the level you indicated. If a SWA 737 had lost both engines enroute from LAS to SAN in 1993, it would be listed in that NTSB database.
The description you gave of the flight path of the aircraft, is what
you felt. There's mostly likely a big difference between what the aircraft really did and what your inner ear
made you think was happening (since you were unable to see anything outside due to it being "pitch black" from the lack of light and being over desert).
Without visual references, any acceleration or deceleration by the aircraft is going to translate into an inner ear sensation that the aircraft is climbing or descending. If the aircraft hit some mountain wave turbulence, that may have resulted in a rapid increase in the indicated speed on the cockpit instruments and possible put the aircraft in an over-speed situation (exceeding the maximum limit). That probably would have resulted in the pilot retarding the throttle to idle (the "loss of engines" you heard). It would have also resulted in an inner ear sensation of deceleration which would have felt
exactly like the aircraft was nosing over into a dive (even though it was perfectly level). That, combined with the actual turbulence and vertical motion caused by it would have probably made it
feel exactly like you described.
As the mountain wave continued, the aircraft indicated speed may have gone the other way and approached a low airspeed point which required the pilot to increase engine power rapidly. That would have been the "engines trying to turn back on". A rapid increase in power and acceleration (again, without visual references outside) would have felt exactly like a very steep climb ("steeper than takeoff") even though the aircraft was still basically in level flight.
It's very possible that there may have been some kind of electric issue with the aircraft. The decision to continue to San Diego may have been made once they were able to start a back-up electrical generator, run some checklists and determine it was safe to continue. Of course, they would have also had to determine if the flight attendant was in need of immediate care, although by that point in the flight there may not have been any better or closer options anyway. They obviously determine continuing the SAN was the best option.
I'm not trying to diminish the situation. Turbulence events are dangerous, mostly to the aircraft occupants. It doesn't take much to turn unsecured people into projectiles and do serious harm. The aircraft are built to take it. But, having an injured crew member or passenger is always big deal.
Beyond that, I think the rest is a result of your first experience with a phenomenon called spatial disorientation that pilots have battled since we started flying aircraft. The "seat of the pants" feel you rely on when you're not in an aircraft will deceive you every time if you rely on it in the air. There have been too many times to count when I would have sworn I was in 90-degrees of bank, inverted, climbing/descending steeply when my instruments were telling me I was level or in a normal turn.
Your flight had a serious turbulence encounter, no doubt. You were safe even when it seemed terrible since you were strapped in. I seriously doubt the aircraft lost both engines or went through the maneuvers you describe. It definitely doesn't sound like a great experience. But, if anything, it should give you confidence in the aircraft and the manufacturer, the crew and their training and make it easier to fly going forward. It's unlikely future flights will realistically and statistically get much worse than one, so they'll probably only get better.