Airplane passengers told to put on life vests amid terrifying ‘mechanical issue’: ‘People were freaking out’

Passengers aboard a recent Fort Lauderdale-bound Spirit Airlines flight were told to strap on life vests and anticipate a water landing in a terrifying recent incident involving equipment malfunctions.

Flight NK270 on Saturday afternoon rushed back to its origin of Jamaica’s Montego Bay experiencing what the airline called “a suspected mechanical issue,” CBS reported.

While still airborne, the warning announcements of a potential splash landing left a harrowing impact on travelers. One told the Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner of their “nerve-racking” experience.

“We were told the aircraft lost pressure,” the flyer said.

“The pilot told us to prepare for a water landing and the highest emergency activated at [Montego Bay airport].”

The plane, an Airbus A321, ultimately and harmlessly returned to the airport as Spirit told CBS that “the mechanical issue did not affect flight safety.”

The airline’s maintenance team will thoroughly check it.

Still, it was enough to cause a massive panic, passenger Bettina Rogers told CNN.

“It was scary, and people were freaking out and panicking,” she said.

At the end of it all, the incident — which left several orange life vests scattered throughout the cabin — only tacked on 42 extra minutes of travel time, according to flight tracking data.

It comes after a man was killed and 30 others were injured during severe turbulence on a recent Singapore Airlines flight that caused the plane to rapidly drop 6,000 feet.