Back to Chad with a bump!

My return to Chad last Sunday evening was something I won't forget in a hurry. Once on board the Air France flight from Paris to N'Djamena the Captain came on the public address with the usual introductions and information. He said that the weather in N'Djamena was currently 33C and stormy. I thought this was unusual as May is the height of the hot season so I was expecting it to be warmer and without any storms.

I thought no more of it until the turbulence started about 30 minutes away from N'Djamena. This must be the storm! The bumpy ride continued as the cabin crew prepared for landing and the wheels went down. I suffer from motion sickness on bumpy flights so by this point I had my eyes closed and was focusing on retaining my in-flight meal. We were about to land when suddenly the descent turned into a rapid ascent - it felt like being on a roller-coaster and some of the passengers screamed out in a mixture of surprise and fear.

A few minutes later one of the cabin crew came on the public address to say that the Captain would make a announcement soon as to the reason for the aborted landing. However, it would seem that talking to the passengers was not the primary concern of the Captain at this stage as he attempted another landing, only to pull up again. This second attempt again elicited more screams from the nervous passengers and shouts of 'Signeur' ('Lord').

The Captain now made his promised announcement. The quality of the PA system was not great and he spoke English with a heavy French accent but I thought he said there was an obstruction on the runway. In retrospect I don't think this can be the case (maybe I was hearing what I wanted to hear - an obstruction can be managed and moved, a storm cannot!). He explained that we were now going to land using a different runway. This didn't reassure me as it might have done at a larger airport as I was pretty sure there is only one runway at N'Djamena!

If anything the third attempt was even bumpier than the previous two and equally as unsuccessful. By this time all I could think about was the Air France flight that plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean a few years ago and whether or not I was ready to meet my Maker! The cries from the passengers were even louder and I put the quality and strength of the airline's sick bag to the test...

The Captain now informed us that we were going to circle for a while to allow the storm to pass and tried to assure us that when we eventually landed 'it will be safe'. We circled for about half an hour during which time the cabin crew tried to reassure the passengers that all would be well and everyone seemed much calmer as we started our fourth descent.

It wasn't quite as turbulent, although you could still feel the tension in the air, and when the wheels finally hit the tarmac there was clapping and cheering!

News of the dramatic landing seems to have spread throughout N'Djamena and I have been asked about it several times. It rates as one of my least favourite experiences but it seems to make a good story now...