A passenger on a Loganair flight from London Heathrow to City of Derry Airport says she feared the aircraft would crash into the Irish Sea after an emergency was declared during the flight.

Joanne McLaughlin said passengers were told to prepare for the brace position while crossing the Irish Sea, and she could feel that the aircraft was descending.

“When the first announcement was made, I 100% thought I was going to die. It was absolutely terrifying,” she said.

The flight later revealed the emergency involved a cracked cockpit windscreen. The crew reduced the aircraft’s altitude to normalise cabin pressure and initially considered diverting to Belfast City Airport.

McLaughlin said the lack of information for around 10 minutes after the first announcement made the situation even more frightening, with several passengers visibly distressed.

The captain eventually explained that the cockpit windscreen had cracked. McLaughlin said she felt reassured once she understood what had happened, and the aircraft was subsequently cleared to continue to Derry.

The flight landed safely and on time, with all passengers and crew unharmed.

Former airline captain Niall Downey said a cracked cockpit windscreen is uncommon but would generally rank relatively low among aviation emergencies. However, a failure involving both layers of the windscreen could create more serious problems.

Loganair confirmed the aircraft “experienced an issue” and said the crew followed appropriate safety procedures. City of Derry Airport also confirmed that emergency services responded as a precaution.

Despite the safe landing, McLaughlin said she believed passengers deserved more reassurance and aftercare after experiencing what they thought could have been a life-threatening emergency.

For the passengers onboard, the most frightening part may have been those first few minutes — knowing something was wrong, being over the sea, and not yet knowing exactly what had happened.