Emma Vu woke up in terror. Fast asleep on her flight, she was jolted awake.
The content marketing specialist at arena and age group coach with Tigard Tualatin Swim Club knew immediately that something was wrong.
“I was asleep when the plane took off. I woke up because the plane was falling and I knew it was worse than normal turbulence, because the masks came down and that’s when I started to freak out,” Vu told Swimming World. “I started texting my family and friends and I just really thought I was going to die, which seems dramatic, but I really felt that way in the moment.”
She wasn’t alone.
The plane, which had 177 passengers, had what was explained as a door-sized hole on it after a window blew out, according to reports. Vu admits she wasn’t 100% sure of what exactly happened because she is trying to avoid reliving the experience.
The Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 made an emergency landing back in Portland, Oregon. According to reports, one person received medical attention.
She credits her swimming background to helping her calm down in an emergency situation. In addition to coaching, Emma Vu was a swimmer at the University of La Verne, an NCAA Division III program in California.
After standing in line with a fellow former swimmer, Vu ended up on the next flight to Burbank, California, with the Oregon All Stars club. When they found out she worked for arena, they were excited.
“It was nice and brought some normalcy to my life to do what I enjoy doing, and they didn’t need to know what I went through that traumatic experience the night before,” Vu said.
Vu is trying to remember the positives from what happened, meeting people – especially fellow swimmers – the support of those sitting next to her on the flight, and from her club, family and friends since.
“Being a part of the swim community was really comforting.”
