Back in the 60’s I was on a flight from Indianapolis to Chicago which hit one of those Clear Air Turbulences (CATs) and dropped according to the pilot 2,000 ft.
I was literally up in the air reaching down trying to grab my seat and pull myself back in. Being young and in the Army I didn’t see the need to buckle up before that flight.
On another trip over 20 years ago on a trip from Chicago to Lincoln NB we were violently bounced up and down and shaken from side to side for the first hour and then they finally rolled the plane out to the runway.
They wouldn’t even let us up from our seats to exit the plane before takeoff the wind was so bad. We just had to sit and wait.
Been on a few horror flights over the years myself.
Worst one, (and the closest to death, I believe) was on a 19 passenger aircraft that got caught in unforecast, closing-up thunderstorms between the US and the Bahamas. What should have been a 45 minute flight turned in to a 105 minute nightmare, as the crew tried desperately to find a hole in the storms.
I just belted up and hunkered down in the front row, watching the bulkhead flex, glad that I couldn’t see where the screams behind me were coming from.
Luckily, the flight crew were two grey-haired, near retirement experts, and even they were covered in sweat when we landed.
Been in a couple hit by lightening, and four declared emergencies, over the years.
(Let’s just not talk about the Air Force flying)