Man proposed to girlfriend as plane plummeted 24,000 feet

A heartwarming story has come out of a terrifying mid-air incident last week, which saw the Air Asia cabin crew declare a mid-air emergency as the plane fell from cruising altitude after losing cabin pressure.

London lawyer Chris Jeanes, who was on board flight QZ535 bound for Bali on Sunday, threw caution to the wind and proposed to his partner as the aircraft started to plummet.

The Bali-bound flight, which suffered a mid-air emergency 25 minutes after take-off, was carrying the couple on a romantic holiday with his Australia girlfriend Casey Kinchella.

London lawyer Chris Jeanes (right) proposed to Casey Kinchella (left) during the Air Asia flight

 Ms Jeanes and Ms Kinchella were travelling to Bali for a holiday when he popped the questions

 Ms Jeanes and Ms Kinchella were travelling on an AIr Asia flight when he popped the question

Mr Jeanes had been planning to propose to Ms Kinchella when they got to Bali but the mid-air drama sped the process up, according to The West.

‘Luckily she said, ‘yes,” the network quoted Mr Jeanes as saying. ‘We both reconfirmed with each other when we were on the ground.’

But as Mr Jeanes was making the most of what he thought could be the last minutes of their lives, there was chaos and panic on board.

He told NBC News that AirAsia workers sprinted down aisle shouting ’emergency, brace, crash positions’.

As the plane fell 24,000 feet, oxygen masks fell and passengers were ordered to put on their seatbelts as crew reportedly caused hysteria by screaming and not communicating in English.

Chris Jeanes and Casey are engaged after a spontaneous mid-air proposal on Sunday

Chris Jeanes and Casey Kinchella are engaged after Sunday’s spontaneous mid-flight proposal

‘I actually picked up my phone and sent a text message to my family, just hoping that they would get it,’ a Perth woman told reporters. ‘It was horrible.’

Passengers have criticised the airline, saying that the cabin attendants handled the emergency poorly, with passenger Mark Bailing claiming that the attendants were ‘screaming their heads off’.

Chris Jeanes had to pull down his oxygen mask so he could ask Casey (pictured) to marry him

Chris Jeanes had to pull down his oxygen mask so he could ask Casey (pictured) to marry him

Oxygen masks fell onboard an AirAsia flight forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday

Oxygen masks fell onboard an AirAsia flight forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday

Passenger Merv Loy claimed that as the mid-air incident unfolded, cabin frantic crew added to the hysteria of passengers with their lack of instruction. 

‘We didn’t understand a word they were saying. It was pretty scary,’ Mr Loy told Perth Now.

An AirAsia spokesman said the plane had to return to Perth because of a technical issue which was being investigated.

The scare comes four months after another AirAsia flight was forced to return to Perth because of an engine failure.

Merv Loy (pictured) said that as the incident unfolded, cabin frantic crew added to the hysteria

Merv Loy (pictured) said that as the incident unfolded, cabin frantic crew added to the hysteria

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk