Passengers write farewell notes as Japan plane plunges 8,000 m in 10 minutes

By Duc Trung July 2, 2025 | 11:15 pm PT

Oxygen masks are dropped as a Spring Airline Japan plane descends on June 30, 2025. Photo courtesy of X/Cyue

Panic erupted on a Japanese flight when a sudden cabin pressure failure sent the plane plunging over 8,000 meters in just 10 minutes.

Flight JL8696, operated by low-cost carrier Spring Airlines Japan, was flying from Shanghai to Tokyo on June 30 when its pressurization system malfunctioned. The Boeing 737-800, carrying 191 passengers and crew, dropped from 11,700 meters to 3,000 meters in a rapid emergency descent, Kyodo reported.

"No one was hurt, but people were screaming as oxygen masks dropped," Japan Airlines, the parent company, said on July 1.

One passenger recalled, "My soul almost left my body. My legs were shaking. Facing death, everything else felt meaningless." Another said they heard a loud noise before masks deployed and flight attendants shouted at everyone to put them on. Some passengers were so terrified they wrote farewell notes, sharing insurance details and bank PINs with family.

The plane made an emergency landing at Kansai Airport in Osaka, where passengers remained onboard for over an hour. Each has been compensated ¥15,000 (US$104) and given hotel accommodation, the South China Morning Post reported.

Spring Airlines Japan on July 1 said it cancelled several Shanghai–Tokyo flights for safety inspections.

Japan Airlines is investigating the cause.