DALAMAN, Turkey, June 5 (UPI) -- Passengers on a Turkey to Belfast, Northern Ireland, flight said the plane was involved in a near miss with a military jet shortly after takeoff.
One of the passengers, who asked not to be identified, said the incident took place minutes after the plane departed from Dalaman, Turkey, The Belfast Telegraph reported Friday.
"We plunged suddenly for about 30 seconds and the plane went onto its side," he said. "Everybody on the plane was screaming and shouting, grown men were crying. It was terrifying. Everybody thought they were dead."
The passenger said the pilot came on the intercom after the plane was righted.
"He said he was sorry and he was sure our hearts were in our mouths, but the problem was an unidentified flying object. Then he came back and said it was a Turkish military plane and said, 'Had I not taken the dramatic action we have just taken, we wouldn't be here talking about it,'" the passenger said.
A spokesman for Thomson Holidays, which organized the Skyservice Airlines flight, said the incident is being investigated by the airline and Turkish authorities.
"We can confirm that the captain of a flight operated on our behalf by our partner Skyservice Airlines from Dalaman to Belfast on 1 June, initiated avoiding action to maintain normal separation from a suspected military aircraft," the spokesman said. "There were no reported injuries and the flight continued as scheduled to Belfast."
