Passengers Talk About Terrifying Delta Flight

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Passengers aboard a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Minneapolis braced for the worst Tuesday morning after the plane began having trouble after take-off.

The pilot radioed the tower to report the problem. At the same time, passengers were being notified the plane was going to need to make an emergency landing.

Passengers aboard Delta flight 2116 immediately knew something was wrong.

"We were kind of shifting side to side, everybody on the plane was," Lisa Buck said.

Passenger Sam Hinton said he could tell the plane was out of control.

"The pilot came on the mic and he said, 'Prepare for a crash landing,' or maybe he said 'emergency landing,'" Hinton said.

Passengers say the crew kept calm and showed them how to brace for impact.

"They told us to cross our arms like this and then lean forward against the seat ahead of you," Hinton said.

The plane was quiet.

"There were a couple minutes where I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen, and it definitely crossed my mind that I wasn't going to make it," Hinton said.

Buck said so many things raced through her mind, like the last thing she said to her husband and kids.

"They said when we land we're either going to say, 'evacuate,' and then you immediately get to nearest exit, or we'll say, 'stay in your seat,'" Buck said. "I just prayed really hard. It was just scary."

The plane soon leveled out and landed safely back at LAX. Passengers said they were thankful after what they called a traumatic experience.

"I'm just grateful to be alive and safe, and I just want to go home and see my family and give them a big hug," Buck said.

Hinton says he had never been so happy to be back in Minneapolis.

"I just can't wait to see my girlfriend," Hinton said.

While passengers praised the flight crew for how they reacted, they told WCCO they were disappointed with how Delta handled things after they got off the plane.

Complaints ranged from not having gate attendants readily available to help re-book flights, to being booked on non-existent flights.

Delta released a statement: "All passengers aboard Delta flight 2116 from Los Angeles to Minneapolis/St. Paul were successfully rebooked by mid-afternoon, and Delta did reach out to passengers earlier in the day with a gesture of apology. Safety is always Delta's top priority, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."