Something hit my brow bone with force. A phone? A shoe? I felt my face start to throb and a trickle of blood drip towards my eye. Personal items-turned-projectiles flew through the air, striking anyone in their path. The earsplitting sound of screeching metal almost overwhelmed the screams and cries of terror. Almost. The woman next to me couldn’t stop screaming and was rocking back and forth with her hands over her ears, trying to block out the horrendous noise. The baby seated two rows in front of me, who’d been crying for most of the last hour, had ratcheted it up a notch, and its terrified howls cut through the air.

The shuddering force at which we slid across the runway was intense. The vibrations shot through my whole body; I could feel it in my bones, my teeth, my heart. Black smoke was rapidly filling the cabin, the acrid blackness burning my nose and throat, despite the oxygen mask I had firmly affixed to my face just moment ago. Tears welled in my eyes and I squinted to see. A man was running, partly propelled, down the back of the plane, screaming to get off. The plane lurched, he cracked his head on an open overhead bin and fell heavily to the ground.

I tried to imagine what this must look like to the horrified onlookers in the airport lounges, to the ground staff, to the passengers taxiing in other planes. Were the engines alight? The wings covered in flames? Were we just an orange streak barreling down the tarmac, fast approaching the field at the end of the runway?

The shuddering intensified, the screeching reduced and the plane started to slow as the trees rushed by. A horrific ripping sound and daylight suddenly flooded the cabin as the right wing dug into the ground and held on. The plane heaved and spun to the right. Smoke poured in through the opening and completely filled my vision. Trees smashed against the left side of the plane. The screams from those still capable of making sound were never-ending as we quickly and finally came to a stop. One last sudden lurch. I swayed in response, my head cracking against the wall of the plane. Blackness.