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An airline passenger vowed she would never fly again after a terrifying experience on Allegiant Air Flight 485 from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Lexington, Kentucky.
Jerrica Thacker told Fox News that the Airbus A320 was forced to take "evasive actions" to avoid colliding with a private jet. She said that about 20 minutes into the flight, the plane suddenly started to climb before leveling off and then dropping back down to the correct altitude.
"It honestly felt like a roller coaster, like when you come down from the highest point, and then you take a big hill," Thacker said. "We all suddenly moved up, which to us felt like we moved down."
"And then he had to level the plane back down to the altitude that we were supposed to be at," she added.
The ordeal left many passengers shaken, with several people crying while others prayed for their safety.
"Once he came over the intercom, people sort of shut their windows because they were scared to look outside," Thacker said. "And there were two people that stood up to switch seats with this little girl who was crying, so she could go sit with her mom."
A few minutes later, the pilot told passengers about the near-miss with the private jet. He also informed them they needed to return to Fort Lauderdale because one of the flight crew members was injured.
"One fell and hit her head, and I think she snapped her wrist," Thacker told the Daily Mail.
After safely landing in Florida, Thacker said that her family decided to rent a car and make the 14-hour drive back home to Kentucky. She did note that the airline offered all the passenger vouchers for future flights.
"It will go to waste unless my parents want to use it," Thacker said.