CHAOS AT ATLANTA DUE TO EXTREME WINDS | Tower Evacuated

[@VASAviation]

Leave a huge LIKE for all these controllers, pilots and all airport personnel for their professionalism.

[@redwingsfan1136]

no I think I will leave a medium like

[@Firewater]

And birds too. Let's not forget the birds.

[@WalterBislin]

Can you publish the date of the recordings in your descriptions please? Thanks. By the way, do you have any information about the airplane that was struck by something?

[@brianjohnson3444]

@@WalterBislin I live about ten miles off the west end of the airport. This had to be Saturday 4/24/2021. It came down late Saturday afternoon then even harder about 9pm. It looked like a cross between a hurricane and a tornado outside! Trees knocked out the power lines in my neighborhood until The next evening.

[@freednighthawk]

@@brianjohnson3444 Go figure, 4/24 is my birthday.

[@soupfork2105]

Tower: Declaring emergency. Pilot: Roger, say intentions and when able souls on board and coffee remaining in pounds.

[@stephenhenley7452]

that's gold...glad to be like #69

[@saxmanb777]

Or is it time of coffee remaining?

[@dvsmotions]

That was fantastic!!!!!!

[@elcastorgrande]

LOL!

[@philbirk]

You win the internet today for that one.

[@V0latyleUSMC]

I've never heard the "pumpkins" thing before. For those who are wondering, this apparently means you don't have enough duty time to complete your flight. Crew time limits are 16 hours for the FAA, and some airlines allow even less. A crew has to cross the hold short line with enough time to finish their flight, or they "turn into pumpkins" - because they will run out of time before the flight is over.

[@1320fastback]

Thanks for the explanation.

[@Thesgtmajor101]

Thank you so much for that. Was about to ask for clarification.

[@Dainus77]

Thank you.

[@bbgun061]

I thought they were running low on fuel to complete the flight. I'm sure that was a consideration for some, although it sounds like most shut down their engines. What's the fuel burn like on an APU?

[@shelbyscout]

It must have been frustrating and extremely inconvenient, but it speaks to the professionalism of the pilots who stuck strictly to their duty time down to the minute.

[@darrylr.4983]

Years ago I was waiting to takeoff at ATL when a line of storms came through stopping all traffic. The controller was very funny, at one point he said "I've got alarms going off up here that I didn't even know we had".

[@24026AKSHAY]

Lol🤣

[@ChristinaChrisR]

Haha!

[@jeffreygosselin1143]

LOLOLOLOL 😂😂😂😂..... like the toilet 🚽 overflow alarm 🚨 😳

[@beenaplumber8379]

@@jeffreygosselin1143 Is that Tower calling for a biffy dump?

[@potatopower707]

😂

[@gaberogers6827]

“Alright guys, your friendly voice is back, I’m not scared anymore” “hooray!”

[@kajlihalilovic4438]

That was so wholesome 🥺

[@Markyroson]

I love that lol

[@jessejohn7406]

Tht was the best

[@NewfieMan98]

I read your comment as they said that. Wholesome and pure

[@sha2ron874]

I loved that comment!! I’ll be listening in for that voice on the radio next time I’m on in ATL!!!

[@JaredNaude]

Its not everyday that the tower declares an emergency!

[@WillG_G]

Or gives a PIREP for turbulance.

[@LeantoPeak]

@@WillG_G would that make it a TOREP? :D

[@1stb1]

did anyone give the tower an FAA number to call?

[@youtubeisfascism]

@@1stb1 they did, its busy all the time :D

[@jetalse7974]

Tower, when you can, number of souls on board and fuel in pounds.

[@NLTops]

Normal days: ATC: Be safe up there guys. This day: Pilots: Be safe up there guys.

[@Kazwens]

No frrrr

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Pretty dramatic inversion.

[@sherpajones]

Pilot: Flight 1739 to tower, weather advisory, caution heavy turbulance.

[@JBBost]

@@sherpajones Tower to Fight 1739, confirm heavy turbulance and whheeeeeeeeeeeeee

[@Sylaise]

They all sounded like one big happy family, so chill and great teamwork. The 'hooray' when the guy returned, the wonderful lady and her gasp of 'oh my gosh there's so many of you!', the pilots checking each other out. By far the best ATC - Pilot interaction I have seen

[@edship4146]

Delta Pilots and ATL have a very close working relationship. We know ATL ATC is the best and we trust them completely. ATC also knows the Pilots will follow their instructions and not fudge on speed or heading. At one point there was a controller called Buzz that everyone enjoyed. He had a very distinctive voice and was an outstanding controller. I remember when he retired. Everyone on frequency was wishing him well.

[@ih82r8]

I like the one pilot who was like "I am not moving this aircraft until someone looks at it"

[@scaleonkhan183]

9:40 haha

[@magicalfetus729]

When a pilot says “moderate turbulence” you know it’s pretty rough. People on board probably thought they were dead.

[@trevoC132]

He was declaring moderate turbulence on the taxiway.... which is fucking hilarious. I think most people didn't catch that, but he was on the ground.

[@peterferryskipper]

@@trevoC132 Your post would have been equally intelligent without the "f bomb"

[@trevoC132]

@@peterferryskipper But that would have made it just hilarious and not fully describe how fucking hilarious it actually was. There is a place for intelligence, not sure youtube comments section is it. Lower your bar.

[@DocSpengler]

@@peterferryskipper calm down gramps

[@N_Georgia_Trout]

@@trevoC132 : Actually, I thought it was abso-fuckin'-lutely hilarious !!

[@rlam95]

Turbulence reported on Ground. That’s a first for me! 🤣🤣🤣

[@Captain_bernoulli]

Student pilots have it all the time. 😂

[@xheralt]

Caution wake turbulence, EF1 tornado on short final...

[@aerofreak2053]

Clearly you've never been to LaGuardia

[@catherinenelson4162]

AKA tornadoes. 2 people in Atlanta were killed at that time. I live in a nearby county. It was a very, very rough day. The barometer dropped about 20 points in a very short period of time.

[@Tindometari]

I've met heavy turbulence inside the terminal building, but that had nothing to do with wind.

[@mickemike2148]

When the coffee effect kicks in: "OMG, there's a whole bunch of you guys out there!"

[@ropersonline]

Her 9:40 reaction really humanised the whole thing for me. #onlyhuman

[@Jet-Pack]

"oke"

[@raygale4198]

I mean, where else would they be? Such a surprised tone in her voice, total gold.

[@keith_5584]

It was a good laugh, but if that is all you heard from tower you would be very terrified. Nothing against her, I would have more than likely said the same thing lol.

[@2snowgirl520]

Unprofessional

[@dizzyology7514]

How about a little love for VASA here? This is a remarkble capture, and must have been a beast to edit, since there are at least two frequencies involved and people weren't bothering to identify consistently. Never mind the people complaining about what you didn't grab, Victor -- a big cheer for what you DID!

[@msamour]

Yepp BZ!

[@jilllangelaar1457]

Exactly! Lots of respect!

[@AgentB7]

Goes without saying.

[@viltfjall]

GREAT!!!

[@irisfields1659]

That was storm the pilots and tower cases to a dead stop.G9od call safety comes first👍✈️🛬🛫🛩⛱️

[@FactsMatter]

With "chaos" in the title, I did not expect the teamwork, clear communication and professionalism that I ended up hearing in the video. Hats off to all involved.

[@caseydykes117]

Yes agreed! They were all phenomenal and kind to each other which is so good to see

[@smartyrdumb4681]

Tower hold your position! Tower: “unable..”

[@jbnycyoutub]

excellent

[@catherinenelson4162]

Tower "wet pants, goota go change"

[@josephking6515]

@@catherinenelson4162 Hence the expression *Clean up checks.*

[@johnopalko5223]

Great job by everyone involved, especially the pilot who refused to move his airplane until it had been inspected. FAR §91.3(a): "The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft." It was funny when ASDE finally came back up and Ground had a "Holy crap! Where'd _they_ all come from?!?" moment.

[@annem1816]

I also have to respect for that pilot when he stood his ground. He literally has the responsibility of everyone in that plane, and don’t know if something is under it. Can’t just drive first and check later when you have, what some million dollars? worth of plane, and approx 150 people on the line..

[@youtubelicksmytaint7482]

He could've had a bit more class and kindness. He pouted like a baby and said I'm not moving instead of explaining why. He was asked and was a B I T C H.

[@johnopalko5223]

@@youtubelicksmytaint7482 He said something hit his aircraft and he wasn't moving it until he got someone to look at it. Sufficient explanation right there. And proper execution of PIC responsibilities and authority. Actually, a one word reply was all that was necessary: "Unable."

[@youtubelicksmytaint7482]

@@johnopalko5223 oh I totally agree with his decision. He just needs to work on his tact. He came off rude to me. That's all.

[@johnopalko5223]

@@youtubelicksmytaint7482 Ah, I hear what you're saying. I misinterpreted what you wrote. Sorry about that!

[@ZsomborZsombibi]

Obeying radio silence request is harder than heavy gusts...

[@TheMegaloYT]

I wanna hear the excited tower lady sort out the ground traffic. Darn cliffhanger. :(

[@whirlingdervish28]

I desperately want to know if the "we've got 6 minutes to pumpkins" flight made it out.

[@colinboneham7387]

As someone that has been a passenger in a plane landing with wind speeds gusting to 42 during a thunder storm, I can guarantee it is an absolute nightmare worse than a bucking bronco on full speed. Also our plane got struck by lightning we didn’t know while in the air but soon saw it when we off loaded.

[@tomcorwine3091]

I have been in that exact situation.

[@someusername121]

I'm the psycho passenger that is having a bunch of fun riding a bouncing plane :) Transportation and a roller coaster? Hell yeah bois.

[@ThePizzaLife]

@@someusername121 I’m the same way. Turbulence makes it more interesting.

[@garrettleffel1412]

@@someusername121 I freakin love turbulence. Its hilarious when I fly home to visit family and the passenger next to me is deathly afraid of a little bouncing and I'm just jamming out to my music on full blast riding along happy as can be as I watch the wings flex up and down.

[@garrettleffel1412]

@@someusername121 I freakin love turbulence. Its hilarious when I fly home to visit family and the passenger next to me is deathly afraid of a little bouncing and I'm just jamming out to my music on full blast riding along happy as can be as I watch the wings flex up and down.

[@randomtask9643]

"Reporting turbulence in the tower" I was bustin up laughin' so hard at that!

[@classGfpv]

Things you never want to hear from ATC: "Oh wow, there are a whole bunch you guys out there! Oh Man..." Lolz, crazy weather that day. Glad everyone stayed safe. edit: words are hard

[@karmathebrit7856]

I though the same thing,

[@SherriNDallasTX]

Was thinking the same thing! Dumb statement she made!

[@kanagekaizen]

Yeah, There was about 10 aircraft that landed on runway 28 and were stuck holding short of 9R for about 1 1/2 hours.

[@TheGreatPurpleFerret]

@@SherriNDallasTX well that's unnecessarily rude. They evacuated, lost many of their instruments, and were in the middle of recovering. Maybe a bit too candid for the radio, but there's nothing dumb about taking a moment to better understand the full situation.

[@chrisd1746]

I thought it was a very relateable human moment, one of those times when you're assessing a situation and realizing just how big of a mess you now have to clean up.

[@peschuh]

Was actually on a Delta 757 that night, headed for Orlando to Atlanta, then on to Las Vegas. Have done the Orlando - Atlanta route coutless times, and is exactly a one hour flight in route. That night, the total flight time was 3 hours, flying west down the Florida panhandle , all the way to the Mississippi/Alabama state line to avoid severe weather, before turning norheast and holding over Montgomery, Alabama, for 20 minutes or so, while Atlanta was shut down. Finally landed, spending 40 minutes with both engines completley shut down, on an active taxi way between the 27 runways and seatbelt signs off, so we could at least use the facilities. Definitley a record breaker flight, and one I won't forget. But Kudos to the Delta crew, and Atlanta airport for keeping us safe. Was actually a smoothe flight as we steered clear of the nasty T-cells.

[@ngtflyer]

I live northwest of Atlanta near Marietta. Those storms on April 24 were no joke. High winds, torrential rain and pea sized hail. It got even more intense to the south of where I live, which would include KATL. Glad everyone stayed safe. Kudos to ATC and all on the ground for a great job handling the situation.

[@spivey618]

I live near PDK in Atlanta and was trying to figure out what day this was, thank youuuuu

[@JamesAllmond]

@@spivey618 the day the EF4 tornado hit Newnan?

[@scottmoon50]

Powder Springs. How ya doing?

[@madr309]

@@JamesAllmond No. Last Saturday (04/24) when the Northside got hit with the hail.

[@voxsacrachoir]

@@JamesAllmond no, this was not the storm that hit Newman. That happened at the beginning of the month

[@howardhua5936]

I was there, DL2066, super windy and absolutely terrifying! Landed and then immediately stopped on the ground. Delayed 1 hour but again safety is number 1 priority. Thank you to the controllers for keeping everything safe while the storm passed!

[@GorgeDawes]

I departed KATL on Saturday evening, we were leaving the crew hotel downtown just as the worst of the storm was passing through, so it had pretty much gone by the time we eventually got to the airport. The staff I spoke to there said they were worried that a tornado was going to hit. We ended up departing with about an hours delay, chiefly because the refueling hydrant was underwater and they needed to figure out how to remove all the water before the refueling truck could connect. By the time we finally left, the field was pretty quiet, well-done to everyone involved for managing to sort out the backlog so quickly.

[@wizardgmb]

I have never heard pilots reporting they were about to "go pumpkin" before. Was that due to hours worked, not enough fuel onboard or missing their enroute time slot?

[@wb6anp]

@@wizardgmb My guess is hours worked, railroaders call Dead on the law, Amtrak atleast does.

[@HeidiKohne]

@@wizardgmb Yep, it's hours on the clock. I hadn't heard that term either, and my brother is a pilot, but I like it. The hours mostly are being counted while they're still on the ground. Once in the air, they can go "overtime" until they land, but if they time out before taking off, they're required by law to head back to the gate and new crew has to replace them.

[@pwr2al4]

I don't want any part of getting gas from a fuel source that was recently anywhere near, let alone under a bunch of standing water!

[@ThePizzaLife]

@@HeidiKohne 4 years ago I was on a plane flying out of the Bahamas to Philly that was delayed a couple hours. The captain came on during the flight and said we were landing in Charlotte because in 15 minutes they’d over their hours. We ended up having a new crew finish the flight an hour or two later. I can’t remember if it was a different plane that we reboarded or not.

[@ma9x795]

Reminds me of the famous 50 knot fog we used to get at Royal Air Force Brawdy on the southwest tip of Wales. The joys of a coastal airfield on top of 400ft cliffs facing the prevailing maritime wind. Fortunately, our tower was only on the equivalent of about the 4th floor.

[@dmytrogubskyi4355]

Now imagine a tower nearly 300 ft tall. That thing would've swing like a boat in the sea.

[@queeny5613]

Oof that sounds fun

[@ooo_Kim_Chi_ooo]

This is Atlanta Tower, we are declaring emergency. Roll the trucks.

[@jeyemGFX]

0:44 If you hear the sound of thunder, don't you get afraid! Just grab your thunder-buddy and say those magic words!

[@thebigcnel]

Don’t you get too scared*. DONT DISRESPECT TED LKKE THAT.

[@lancetheman28]

Thunder buddies for life.

[@bradsuhr7538]

I was hoping someone would get his reference

[@StrokeMahEgo]

Say those magic words, "declaring emergency"

[@mjleger4555]

I live inland Northwest USA and we get those summer thunderstorms frequently in the afternoon. I'm not afraid of thunder, but my dog sure needs a thunder-buddy so I put her up on the bed with me and hold her tight and reassure her until she stops quivering! Animals HATE thunder! I believe they think it's a gigantic beast growling at them!

[@jacktheIV44]

Pilots can be so calm it’s unfathomable. I mean Atlanta was put under tornado watch and these guys were as cool as a cucumber.

[@RiverWoods111]

Yep, and I was hiding in my bathroom with my dog, who was staring at me like are you crazy woman?

[@AudieHolland]

I think that's because they're also responsible for their passengers, their crew and their plane, then lastly, themselves. It takes a certain type of personality to accept that your own, personal well being is the least of your concerns.

[@sha2ron874]

@S.J. River, that’s exactly where I was. I live in PTC. The tower and pilots sounded great! I was thrilled to be home and safe!!

[@jamiemcglen4244]

Worst case scenario, the plane gets lifted off the ground. Quick and easy take off if you ask me

[@emiratesaviation33]

Yeah cause they are in a plane. What is the tornado gonna do? Fly them? Note: this is a joke. I know how physics, airplanes and tornado's work

[@MayimHastings]

I live in the Atlanta area and this was the scariest storm I’ve ever gone through! And we get a shit ton of gnarly storms here in “tornado valley”, but this was the worst by far. Glad everyone was okay at the airport. Everyone have a lovely day!

[@mikegirard4388]

I love it. “We’re pumpkins”. Cinderella reference in aviation.

[@SOLDOZER]

What are they talking about "pumpkins"?

[@imchris5000]

@@SOLDOZER they ran out of hours they are allowed to work in a day so they turn into useless pumpkins

[@32SQUID]

Lame

[@TheGribbleNator]

That last controller's shock at how many pilots are waiting for gate instructions got me lol, she was absolutely bewildered that this responsibility had been placed on her.

[@Andy85H]

I’d like to hear an extended cut of this where they get everyone off the ground

[@sunvalleyrider5790]

Agreed! That'd be so cool

[@Allylonng1416]

And how the aircraft in the air were doing like if they were talking to each other to go around

[@philnaegely]

Agreed I'd love that

[@rozellep2]

I was sad it cut off when it did, there should be a part 2 and 3 and 4.....

[@jadcraig6858]

@@Allylonng1416 all arrivals had been stopped by then

[@canyonrunner331]

I was just outside airport property when this storm came through. It was absolutely unreal how heavy it got

[@molivil]

ATC and pilots had an awesome attitude all the way through. Kudos to ATC to keeping it cool and working through the issues.

[@JustPlainRob]

Tower: "We're evacuating, ATC Zero" DAL2604: "Want to come to Florida with us?"

[@andyt2k]

She's so cute "there's a whole bunch of you guys out there"

[@32SQUID]

She's smoking hot

[@NBT2469]

Hey Tower, can you give me the fuel and the number of soul onboard. 😂😂😂

[@markmaki4460]

XD

[@BennettAwx]

I was gonna say the same thing 😂😂. “Hey uhh this is tower we are declaring a emergency”

[@sapede]

Standby! (Checking the genset)...

[@atzuras]

Tower, are you declaring an emergency? or is just for imformstion?

[@krozareq]

@@atzuras The first one requires a stack of paperwork. So it's just information :D

[@feralbluee]

i’m binging on these. fascinating - and i’m a teacher. i just love this stuff. it’s so logical and everyone is so “on”. it makes me feel safe in the chaos of NYC. binging on 74Gear for a few days, now this. you do an incredible job! thanks much 🌷✈️

[@JohnJacobJingleheimerSchmidt7]

My cousin was in a terminal facing ATC South (I think?) when this happened. He could see from the ground that it was swaying and rocking back and forth like there was an earthquake. Three tornadoes touched down in the area around ATL that night, one destroying much of Newnan - some crazy stuff! Edit: wrong night - this was from last Saturday! They might want to rebuild an ATC tower that sways like that twice in three months 😳

[@FBWFTW]

What day/time was this? (Cause I definitely want to load up the weather history and try it in my simulator)

[@twilliams1755]

This wasn't when the tornado touched down, this was Saturday night I believe. We got hit pretty bad with wind, rain, and a little hail.

[@twilliams1755]

@@FBWFTW April 24 around 8:30 or 9pm I believe is when it hit.

[@JohnJacobJingleheimerSchmidt7]

@@twilliams1755 really?? I just assumed this was during the tornado bc the tower in my cousin’s vid looked so crazy. If it’s swaying like that again, sounds like the tower needs a rebuild...

[@MrKeserian]

@@JohnJacobJingleheimerSchmidt7 I'm assuming the tower is concrete rebar. Swaying is actually good in this instance. A tree sways in heavy winds and stays up. If the tower didn't give with the wind, it'd be wreckage on the ground. If you've ever been on a skyscraper, you can actually feel the sway back and forth on high wind days. It's definitely disconcerting, but it's a good thing that the building is designed for it.

[@SudaNIm103]

Date and Time? I flew in and out of ATL on 4/24/21 and let me tell you the approach was one hell of a ride. Without question it was the most extreme turbulence I've ever experienced in a jet aircraft. Laptops were jumping into the aisle, kids were screaming, adults were cursing and praying, in equal measure. Though generally nauseating and brief moments that were acutely unnerving, I should say I still felt perfectly safe.

[@lukepowell9428]

What was the METAR report, do you happen to remember?

[@SudaNIm103]

@@lukepowell9428 I was just a passenger and didn’t happen to review the days reports.

[@hotapplepy]

Laptops were jumping into the isle during approach? Anything less that 10,000 ft and they ask you to put em away ain't it ?

[@SudaNIm103]

@@hotapplepy Yes they did of course, but the turbulence was sporadic throughout the flight and it started getting bad way before the descent

[@lvsluggo007]

That sounds like my ride on a Southwest flight from Seattle to Phoenix back in 2018. Just after departing Seatac, I think we were just below 10K feet and all the sudden we went through a patch of turbulence like I'd never experienced before. It was a damn good thing we still had our seat belts on tight as the plane bounced up-down-left-right doing a close impression of a crash landing, even with the seat belt tight, my head came close to hitting the side of the cabin.. I've flown a fair amount and have seen turbulence pretty bad, especially approaching Las Vegas during the summer, but this was epic..

[@ravingcyclist624]

Excellent coverage! Thanks! It was amazing listening to the events LIVE while the storm and hail were rocking my house.

[@jackmaher4245]

"Think I need a Thunder Buddy" hahahaha

[@deephorizon1365]

Better not point your cessna into the wind, it might just VTOL 😂😂😂

[@AceHomefoil]

'Airspeed alive on taxiway Alpha'

[@moconnell663]

I saw a video of this happening at a small airport in colorado. There were a number of tow planes running and ready to take gliders aloft, a freak storm came up and all the ground crew piled onto glider wings to keep them from being tossed, and the tow planes took off in every random direction as the wind turned them around. EDIT: I found the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJC6np2Ndqyegqs

[@LMDProductionsOfficial]

If I was in an airliner I’d have chucked the speed brakes out just to be safe 😂😂

[@suzukirider9030]

Well, if it's pointing any direction OTHER than into the wind - it's almost certain to flip over, if it's not tied down, that is.

[@suzukirider9030]

There's a video of a PiperSport taking off in winds. Those have 32kn stall speeds - that's at MTOW 600kg. An empty one is only about 350kg, so it could take off like a kite at just about 26-28kn headwinds.

[@thebadgerpilot]

Will there be a Part 2 with them trying to sort everything out? That would be really cool to see with the diagram and airplane symbols (but I also realize that would likely be a ton of work).

[@thryduulf]

I second that request, it would be a very interesting listen.

[@MrJaiimez]

Seems to be alot of people requesting that, I'll add my name to that, id like to hear the cleanup operation.

[@Malyficent]

Add my name as well. It would be a practical training video for many fields of work where you need a level head, professional honesty and a whole crap ton of patience.

[@heidikickhouse-]

Also, how many pumpkined out, + did that delay their connecting departures any? Cabin crew have that rule? Were replacements for both available? Why don't they factor some wiggle room into the scheduling? ($$$, I assume.).

[@carschmn]

Atlanta got hit with a line of severe thunderstorms on April 24 around 10pm. There were torrential rains and hail. Since it was dark also, that likely explains why pilots couldn’t see anything.

[@swaviator9623]

I think maybe these same storms hit Texas a few days ago. They weren’t messing around either.

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

and its not even summer!

[@nickv4073]

"Since it ws dark also, that likely explains why pilots couldnt see anything". Thanks, Captain Obvious. What would we do without you.

[@upgrayedd9732]

@@nickv4073 I know what he means though. 0 vis during the day is so much better than 0 vis at night.

[@Belchmaster41]

@@upgrayedd9732 0 vis any time of the day can be pretty tricky to deal with, especially during pre-board

[@GreencampRhodie]

What calmness, professionalism & humour. Kudos.

[@3Authoress]

That weather was no joke. Lots of hail and high winds. My phone wouldn't stop screaming out warnings at me for over an hour. Scared my dog so bad, she peed in the house. I'm not surprised ATL had some issues. I'm glad the tower was safely evacuated. Those were some high sustained winds and those gusts... Wow.

[@scotty523]

Lmao one of the best videos in a while. I wonder how many flights turned into pumpkins (timed out of available duty time). I couldn't stop laughing after hearing the cute controller at 9:40. She made my day.

[@geordannik]

Could you describe what turning into a pumpkin is, a little more for me? I dont understand at all lmao

[@scotty523]

@@geordannik Based on what time flight crews start their day, they can only work 8-10hrs per day. Based on the arrival time to their destination, crews were minutes away from being unable to operate the flight. They either have to be airborne by the required time or they must return to the gate and go home, hence why crews refer to the Cinderella carriage that turned into pumpkins at midnight.

[@mlcochran78]

Hell yes! Glad you were able to make a video out of this. It was a wild weekend out there!!

[@Trigger11]

That's amazing hearing everyone work together and get running smooth again. Good work!

[@mariokartgamecube]

Love how the tower controller basically says “hey guys I’m back, anybody have an emergency while I was gone?”

[@jeffreygosselin1143]

“Ahhhh..... tower.... I will just vertically take off from my position in line here......”

[@cruxader27]

Tower: We're declaring emergency and we'll be evacuating. Pilot: Roger that. Emergency assistance on the way now.

[@josephking6515]

We were told by an ATC on our CPL ground course 39 years ago that when you declared a MAYDAY their response was _Callsign,_ *mayday, roger* and that was it. Struck me as odd until I gave it a few seconds though.

[@MajoradeMayhem]

"Tower is declaring MAYDAY, severe turbulence."

[@boudibla4011]

Great job from ATC and Pilots and all involved. Thanks for keeping people safe. Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt...unless you have to evacuate! ;)

[@rollingtroll]

Pumpkins? Never heard that one before. This was hilarious. Tower declaring turbulence, hahaha.

[@gano7297]

Any idea what the “pumpkin” slang means?? Sounds to me like it is some sort of time-out reference?

[@joekeefe7378]

Yes, crew time-out. "Turning into a pumpkin", a reference to the Cinderella story where the carriage turns back into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight.

[@dylandelarosa9856]

They timed out. They can only work so many hours a day per federal regulations. If they time out in the air then they finish the flight. But if they are waiting in line to taxi and they time out, they turn into a pumpkin(fairy tale reference). Meaning they can’t move or do anything now. So they have to go back to the gate and have to get a different crew that is fresh.

[@rollingtroll]

Got it. The cinderella reference makes sense too :D. Thanks!

[@themidsouthcyclist8880]

I flew into ATL the night of January 9, 2014, when the Atlanta Blizzard hit. PHX-ATL. So cool as we started our descent, knowing for the last 35 hours that we might have to divert hundreds of miles short, but fortune favored us that night. On the way down, the PNF hopped on the PA and told us that we, and the flight crew, had a very rare distinction: we were one of 17 aircraft planet-wide iinbound for ATL. Everything else was rerouted or cancelled. 185 a/c movements/hour, all out the window. Shockingly smooth approach, but the active and every inch of taxiway we touched was a washboard (that's just how ice is here in the south). That was a very weird several days in Atlanta. I was there for a trade show and the halls were empty for the first few days....no one could get there.

[@Glen.Danielsen]

A lot of sharp professionalism during a freak weather condition. Really impressive. 💛🙏🏼

[@spaert]

Pretty crazy. The professionalism and cooperation, and good heads-up thinking was all admirable. Nicely done. I think at SLC where I am, the airport structures are built for high velocity wind. 45 mph gusts aren't that uncommon (we have a lot of canyons the wind blows down through, causing high winds). They might sometimes cause delays depending on direction, but the tower doesn't have to evacuate. Even at 65 mph, which we get occasionally (every few years we even get some around 85 or so) the tower seems to hold up fine. I guess you build for the conditions the area experiences.

[@waltblackadar4690]

Not to mention that in the SE these types of winds are usually generated from a supercell which also spawns tornados. So the evac probably wasn't just for the winds but the potential of a twister dropping on top of them.

[@AirspotterUK]

Kudos to the Ops teams as well that go out pick up the FOD and check the runway in those times.

[@dolphincliffs8864]

I was a passenger from Memphis to Atlanta back in '95,bad storm,the aircraft was yawing something fierce that night on approach!

[@wbokhari8860]

I live in Atlanta and we got some really strong storms with wind gusts here on April 24th. There was even a tornado that touched down in southwest Atlanta going towards the airport, but that thankfully dissipated just a few miles short and this might have been during that.

[@topgun9666]

Amazing pilots and controllers. Everyone looking out for each other and helping.

[@Trek001]

Atlanta Tower: Delta 2166, We'd like some emergency aircraft rolled to the foot of the building please - we're evacuating onto the apron and the car park. Delta 2166: Roger that. Can you state how many souls and your fuel state? Atlanta Tower: Well, there are seven of us up here... Our fuel state isn't good, but JimBob says he has some Mountain Dew in his pick up

[@upgrayedd9732]

lol...cus you know, it's backwards

[@videonocturnal152]

I frequently have layovers in Atlanta visiting my Grandpa in Florida from the PNW. Even on a “calm” days flying in and out of Atlanta it’s always a bit turbulent. Could not image what this was like, kudos to all the ATC and pilots for effectively communicating.

[@liamhosking2947]

This is a crazy situation, especially at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. Great job pilots and ATC!

[@nerysghemor5781]

Supposedly due to COVID, ATL got dethroned by an airport in China. Not sure if that will last...

[@softreset82]

2nd busiest, got dethroned.

[@liamhosking2947]

@@nerysghemor5781 huh, well KATL is still definitely up there! Btw, was the China one Beijing Daxing? I thought I heard that somewhere.

[@nerysghemor5781]

@@liamhosking2947 I was scanning the article really fast and I don’t remember which one it was.

[@upgrayedd9732]

..one of?

[@brmam1385]

What an amazing experience for the passengers in those planes! Here in Tucson we get very strong (40+ mph) winds/gusts & it tears roofs off of houses, patio covers of patios & outdoor furniture gone for good. That had to be terrifying, even for experienced flight & tower crews! Glad all ok!

[@rippen1982]

I like when Boomhauer came on line.. "gonna need radio silence so we can talk about propane and propane accessories"..

[@dpm-jt8rj]

Wow, awesome team work, ATC, pilots, and ground crews.

[@edew9180]

I love the last transmission. The most professional way of saying "oh shit"

[@bestdjintown]

This is one of the best ATC communication videos i've ever watched.

[@Orli-g]

Such awesome and amazing team work! Gotta love it!

[@PlaneSpottingBerlin]

5:30 "Moderate Turbulence at SJ (on the ground)" :D

[@EG-0611]

9:40 that is the most innocent shock of a female controller I have ever heard :D

[@AaronShenghao]

You can't be mad at that.

[@gatolibero8329]

I'm like...a bunch of planes just landed on their own!? Or were trying to get back to the gates. Lol.

[@TheGreatPurpleFerret]

@@gatolibero8329 tower and ground are on different frequencies and should be in close contact but depending on evac procedures several planes may have been landed by tower and pushed off the runway without ground being there to be notified.

[@paul_k_7351]

Slightly unprofessional, need to stay calm.

[@topethermohenes7658]

@@paul_k_7351 lol she was surprised for like 3 seconds then was like "ok let's do This" very human reaction if you ask me, she switched also to "clean up the mess" mode in no time

[@paulazemeckis7835]

Wow, sounds like a bad weather party at Hartsfield. After 32 years there I moved to a warmer climate with much less traffic. I flew a lot when only A and B existed. I remember all the violent storms in the spring.

[@gtm624]

Thank you pilots for making smart decisions and ATC for helping keep us all safe.

[@tophmcgoph9229]

Tower: we are going to evacuate Pilots: get ready to copy a phone number...

[@Mr35thousandft]

I was at work when this storm came through first half about 1700-1815 was hail then when the second half came about 2100 it was so windy that parts of B concourse were ripped off the building and visibility from the rain was zero

[@ultrametric9317]

ATL must have the cream of the ATC crop. These guys are good. And props to that pilot who is not going to move until he knows what's up with his AC. Great stuff!

[@nleary01]

I was on one of the Delta flights stuck on the taxiway for this storm. They reported wind gusts of 76mph. The plane was rocking pretty good. It legit felt like some mild turbulence. We were stuck on the taxiway for 2 hours until the tower reopened and cleared things up to get us into a gate. They reported hail damage to several aircraft and I got to spend the night in the terminal after missing my connection. Fun times.

[@Camerenreynolds]

Great video (as usual). Tower was very professional in these conditions

[@edmclaughlin4923]

Wish I could hit "Like" a hundred times! What a professional, good natured, bunch of people down there at ATL.

[@ZenkaiAnkoku2]

ATC evacuating and the pilot asking "What's the wind?" for them xD Also that poor lady at the end "There's so many of you!" I'm glad everyone was so patient with ATC during the emergency and that everyone was okay!

[@zachlang1982]

“Delta 780, how was that ride on final?” “Uh yeah the Captain just said it’s the worst he ever had.” Don’t know if I should laugh or feel concerned.

[@cdnmetelhead4013]

@Zach Lang. I would be concerned for the crew that had to clean the aircraft once it got to the gate.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

I experienced turbulence at landing before... Not fun

[@tdgreenbay]

Having worked ground transportation at ATL..... that weather can be wicked at times.... If seen lightning, wind and other weather just reek havoc on everything going on

[@ryans.5998]

"Moderate turbulence on SJ" 😂

[@homanthebarbarian7890]

I spent a mid shift at Clark AB in the PI in 1980-81 during a passing typhoon. Wind got up to about 85kts and about 1 a.m. I observed the Brite radar (300 pound scope mounted on a steel I-beam pivot) swaying back and forth. It was just me and the Crew Chief (who was 7-8 months pregnant). I talked her into going down to the Chief Controllers office on the third floor and I spent most of the shift on the floor, up under the console with the ground fm on a mic and the crash phone hanging off the console. Wind finally died off about 5 a.m. And Gail came back upstairs. About 6a.m., the wind shifted and it cracked one of the double panel gas filled windows. Sounded like a gun going off.

[@mcpc303]

Why can I imagine the ATC just hiding behind his desk wearing a steel helmet just in case the glass breaks.

[@chasingcapsaicin]

Stapleton to Pittsburgh, we took off twice and returned due to weather, then changed airplanes happened again twice, disembarked again. Boarded somehow managed to get above it. Circled Pittsburgh and that was the most terrible landing I have had, stuck in a hotel for three days, talk about a layover.

[@MM-px9iv]

I heard a controller declare white caps in the coffee , im outta here !!!

[@blueskyliao8480]

A few might get the joke of “white caps” if they are not a mariner. Good one! I am a sailor and a PPL holder. -:)

[@arnoldsherrill6305]

That was a rough night I live about 5 miles from Hartsfield and that night I was watching you can literally see the rain at one point spinning in the space between the wings of the apartment building where I live and I live on the top floor so I can just imagine how it must have felt almost 400 feet off the ground in the tower. I was actually thinking about that that night because I had worked at Hartsfield for a few years back in the 90s. and then with the storm that intense there is nowhere to go in terms of safety you basically just have to ride it out., unless you have a place to evacuate to. Everyone that night was lucky at Hartsfield in ways you cannot imagine.

[@rlawrencejr1]

This must've been a few days ago. I live in Atlanta. The weather was very intense. 25-30 mph winds and as stated gust well over 40 mph. This went on and off for hours with moments of very intense rain as describe by the pilots. It was like being in a tropical storm. Thankfully, there wasn't any reported damage other than some trees down.

[@upgrayedd9732]

...but did any bag carts or ULD containers slam into your house?

[@thedeihl]

ATCs and pilots are amazing people, and the communication and professionalism is military level, kudos to everyone

[@paulc5333]

Sounds like a huge fun day in Atlanta. I remember some days flying a C310 trying to get a word in to get outta YYZ being stepped on by the heavies. .. I tell ya I don't get no respect... even when the part I'm flying is to keep one of you in the air...

[@TheGamerHenstrike]

One time I flew into Atlanta and on the way down we were maneuvering a lot and I made the comment "those clouds are rare, they are a sign of one heck of a storm" and not even 30 seconds after we landed the airport basically flooded and all flights for several hours had to be diverted away, including my next one which ended up leaving 4 hours late. My friend who was going to Seoul had his flight leave on time, around 8 hours after we landed in Atlanta

[@skyvenrazgriz8226]

I always asume that structures like air port towers for exsample are build in a way that they are less likely to get airborn than aircraft... seems i was almost wrong in that assetment. Thankful everyone seems to be safe.

[@AviationNut]

I worked ATC for 3 years it's not that the tower will blow over it's the glass around us, because we have glass windows all around and if any of those windows breaks it can cause a lot of injuries.

[@rubenvillanueva8635]

The major concern is the plate glass windows. They have a wind speed limit, that is monitored closely before evacuation is ordered.

[@filanfyretracker]

@@rubenvillanueva8635 sounds like someone needs to invent metal shutters for towers that can slam closed like the things that protect windows of space ships in scifi. challenge is making them not mess with the view when open.

[@rubenvillanueva8635]

@@filanfyretracker - It is much easier to shutdown operations, evacuate to the offices below and wait out the wind gusts. No big deal.

[@rubenvillanueva8635]

@@AviationNut - Where did you work, military or civil?

[@matismf]

Evacuating the tower for 48 knot wind gusts? Good thing Atlanta never gets any hurricanes!

[@Boodieman72]

Did we ever find out if something hit that aircraft?

[@murphsmodels8853]

Legend has it they're still sitting there refusing to taxi.

[@martinc.720]

@@murphsmodels8853 I thought you were going to say "refusing to talk about it" lol

[@FoolioBeardy]

@@murphsmodels8853 I'd believe it, jeez

[@melissapowellwright3097]

@@murphsmodels8853 dwl yesss

[@vogoza3877]

Still amazed of how professional and calm they remain even when they're taking hell. They really deserve respect for that. The same can't be said for a lot of professions.

[@sauercrowder]

"Maintain radio silence" *Asks question*

[@ExplodingCow49]

I work at Bozeman Airport, KBZN, in Montana. Out here we regularly get winds of 50 gusting to 75 or more, we've even seen winds 90+ because we're in a valley, and it's Montana. Crazy to me that winds as relatively slow as those caused an evacuation at the tower