![\"Items](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/04f59dd58445d209ae808c4a91915bf7.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nAn Australian passenger onboard a Cathay Pacific flight rocked by severe turbulence says he feared he was going to die after the aircraft suddenly plunged mid-air, throwing passengers and food carts around the cabin and injuring 10 people.<\/p>\n
Flight CX156 was travelling from Brisbane to Hong Kong on Saturday when the Airbus A350-900 suddenly dropped, about two hours before landing.<\/p>\n
Cathay Pacific confirmed that 10 people were injured during the incident, including six cabin crew and four passengers.<\/p>\n
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Those on board say there was no warning beforehand, with food service already beginning. (Facebook: A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew)<\/p>\n
The airline said medical personnel boarded the aircraft after it landed safely in Hong Kong about 6:45am, local time.<\/p>\n
Eight injured people were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.<\/p>\n
Cairns businessman Nicholas Stevenson was travelling on the flight when the “plane just dropped”.<\/p>\n
“I thought the plane was going down,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There were phones flying, coffees smashed into the roof, food absolutely everywhere.<\/p>\n
“People were screaming. There was a lot of people really freaking out.”![\"Droplets](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e86f85f8d7eeaf03797fde13dfbea994.jpeg\")
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The severe turbulence caused items to hit the ceiling. (Facebook: A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew)<\/p>\n
Mr Stevenson said the turbulence struck without warning as cabin crew had just begun serving breakfast on the overnight flight.<\/p>\n
“They’d turned the lights on, people were waking up, and they’d started giving out meals,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There was no seatbelt sign or warning beforehand.”<\/p>\n
He said the plane plunged twice in quick succession.<\/p>\n
The safety challenges of Asia-Pacific\u2019s air travel surge<\/a><\/p>\n While flying remains the safest mode of transport, global aviation fatalities more than tripled between 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n “The first one caught everyone completely off guard, and then probably 15 or 20 seconds later it happened again,” he said.<\/p>\n “People who’d just managed to get back into their seats or grab onto something got thrown around again.”<\/p>\n Mr Stevenson said the force of the turbulence launched unsecured passengers and objects into the air.<\/p>\n “Anyone that didn’t have their belts on hit the roof,” he said.<\/p>\n Cathay Pacific confirmed 10 people were injured during the incident, including six cabin crew and four passengers. (File)<\/p>\n He said cabin crew appeared to suffer the worst injuries because they were standing in the aisles with heavy service carts when the aircraft dropped.<\/p>\n “The staff got hit pretty badly because not only were they thrown, but the food carts went flying into them as well,” he said.<\/p>\n Mr Stevenson said passengers only realised the seriousness of the situation after calls went out across the cabin asking whether any doctors were on board.<\/p>\n![\"Sunset](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/79ebdb6103c56115b1f17d8c9649c44e.jpeg\")
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