‘I thought I was going to die’: Louise Thompson reveals she was ‘sweating, shocked and panic stricken’ after her plane suffered fuel crisis and struggled to land during Storm Ciara
Made In Chelsea star Louise Thomson admits she ‘didn’t know if she was alive or dead’ after her plane endured two aborted landings and a dramatic fuel shortage at the height of Storm Ciara.
The shaken TV personality originally boarded London bound BA flight 2749 in Geneva, but was left fearing for her life when the plane ‘shook violently’ and struggled to land after being hit by the freak storm on Sunday.
Addressing fans in a subscription only email, Louise, 29 – who admits she is terrified of flying – claimed the ordeal was ‘beyond anything she had experienced in her life.’
Terrified: Louise Thomson admits she ‘didn’t know if she was alive or dead’ after her plane endured two aborted landings and a dramatic fuel shortage at the height of Storm Ciara
She recalled: ‘The engine felt like it was seconds away from stalling. The wings of the plane were being rattled and shaken. This went on for about 60 seconds, but it felt like 60 minutes.’
‘I was in such a state of panic and shock. My adrenaline was flowing through every part of my body.’
Louise revealed she was ‘sweating and shaking uncontrollably,’ while her fellow passengers were ‘crying or had their heads down’ as they contemplated the possibility of crashing.
Ordeal: The shaken TV personality originally boarded London bound BA flight 2749 in Geneva, but was left fearing for her life when the plane ‘shook violently’ and struggled to land (stock image)
She added: ‘At this state I accepted death… honestly, I’m not sure how my body coped. I genuinely thought I was going to die. I tried to text my family, and I decided to accept my fate.
‘My body was crushed under this intense feeling of pressure, pain, torture, adrenaline.’
Louise’s Airbus had flown in a holding pattern before making two attempts to land at London’s Gatwick Airport, but violent crosswinds – the result of freak weather wreaking havoc across the United Kingdom – resulted in both being aborted.
Happier times: Louise had been enjoying a winter break with fiancé Ryan Libbey in Verbier before flying back to her native London via Gebeva
Idyllic: The pair posed for series of Instagram snaps during their skiing holiday in Switzerland
The plane eventually flew south before making an emergency landing in France at Lyon’s St-Exupery airport after running close to its fuel reserve – giving them just 30 more minutes in the air.
The journey had already got off to a bad start due to a three hour delay, despite weather conditions in Geneva being ‘clear and crisp.’
Recalling the moment she finally landed, Louise – who had been enjoying a winter break with fiancé Ryan Libbey in Verbier – expressed her relief after three fire engines greeted them on the landing strip.
But she admitted seeing them made her realise the pilot had called an emergency – promoting the decision to land in Lyon.
Fears: Addressing fans in a subscription only email, Louise, 29 – who admits she is terrified of flying – claimed the ordeal was ‘beyond anything she had experienced in her life’ (pictured in Verbier before her ordeal)
‘I was so relieved to land,’ she said. ‘If I had known in the air the pilot had called a Mayday I would have fainted for sure.
‘I don’t even care if I have to get back later, I’m genuinely happy to be alive!’
Addressing the incident in an official statement, British Airways said: ‘Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and the extreme winds of Storm Ciara meant that our highly trained pilot assessed it as unsafe to land at Gatwick, so diverted to Lyon until the weather improved.
‘We provided customers with hotel accommodation and meal vouchers to keep them comfortable until their flight departed the following morning.’