Brit mum relives panic on board BA ‘rollercoaster’ plane over Gibraltar and says terror of return flight is ruining 40th birthday celebrations

Lisa Huxstep, 39, from Gloucestershire, and her husband Ian were among the 180 passengers who feared they were about to die as the jet lurched from right to left over Gibraltar in footage that went around the world.

Speaking with The Sun Online, mum-of-three Lisa said the aircraft suddenly dropped and began to “roll” on the descent towards Gibraltar airport.

She said: “We suddenly dropped and everybody started screaming

“We started to roll – so we started to sway from side to side. It was just horrific

“My husband looked at me. I looked him. I feared for my life. I'm not the best at flying anyway.

“It was just terrifying – we were nearly at a 90 degree angle.

“We looked at each other and I was just praying 'please god, please god'.

It was just like the pilot was not in control. That’s how it felt to us like – there was no control of that plane whatsoever

"My head was between my knees and I was holding Ian's hands – and we were just praying for life."

The sales executive likened the "big" drop to a "rollercoaster or a log flume" adding “It didn't feel like turbulence.”

Lisa said she felt that the plane’s captain had “lost control” of the aircraft during the high winds.

She said: “It like she (the captain) really didn't get a grip of that plane.

“It was just like the pilot was not in control. That’s how it felt to us like – there was no control of that plane whatsoever.”

Lisa, who is celebrating her 40th birthday tomorrow, said her apprehension about the journey back to the UK is "still at the back of my mind"

Breaking down in tears, she continued: “I stayed up all last night thinking about it. It's still in the back of my mind now. It brings tears to my eyes.

“I think I might have to visit the doctor before flying back.”

After the terrifying ordeal, the captain told passengers they were making their way to Malaga where a coach would take them to Gibraltar.

Lisa said that they were warned in Heathrow Airport about the high winds and the possibility the jet may be diverted.

She insists the horrifying descent into Gibraltar was “unnecessary” and should have been avoided.

Lisa said BA staff were “calming” but she was unable to speak to them because she was so “traumatised.”

According to Flight Radar the aircraft involved was BA flight 492, which left London just after 8.30am yesterday.

The plane was making its final approach to Gibraltar International Airport when it was forced to turn north and divert to Malaga on the Costa del Sol.

A British Airways spokesman said: "The flight has landed safely and passengers have left the aircraft normally.

"Due to strong winds in the Gibraltar area, our pilots decided to land in Malaga as a precaution.

"The safety of our customers and crew is always our number one priority."

In the clip of showing the troubled plane, the aircraft's engines can be heard screeching as the plane fights against buffeting winds.

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