Matthew McConaughey describes being dropped 4 000 feet on a flight: ‘I got one hell of a scare!’

Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves. Picture: Reuters

Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves. Picture: Reuters

Published Apr 12, 2023

Share

Matthew McConaughey was “in shock” after his flight dropped 4 000 feet.

The 53-year-old actor was aboard the Lufthansa aircraft in March with his wife Camila Alves, 41, when the flight suffered a massive drop. He has opened up about having “no control” over the situation as he was held down solely by his tray table as there was no warning for passengers to fasten their seat belts.

Speaking on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast with Kelly Ripa, he said: “It’s suspended disbelief. I mean, it’s zero gravity.

“Your red wine and the glass and the plates that your food was on are all suspended, floating, still just in the air.

“And to look at it for that long, which wasn’t that long – one, two, three, four (seconds) – and then everything just comes crashing down. It was a hell of a scare, that 100% feeling that you have no way to get control of this situation the moment.

“My tray table is what held me down. I did not have my seat belt on, and there was not a seat belt warning right before it happened. I immediately reached over, made sure Camila had her seat belt on.”

The “Gold” star said he happened to also be in the company of a friend who is a pilot, who was able to diffuse his panic as he said the aircraft was able to hold such a drop.

He said: “As a person who’s not a pilot, my mind goes to the actual engineering of the plane. The steel, it buckled. And you go, ‘How can something withstand that?’

“I happened to have a friend of mine sitting next to me who was a pilot. And he was calm as could be. I was like, ‘Can the plane hold that?’ And he was like, ‘These things are so tested, that yes, don’t worry, the plane structurally can hold that.’ That was a big relief. I was like, ‘If something’s wrong, can you fly this thing?’

“And he was like, ‘No problem.’ And I was like, ‘Great, love to hear that!’”

Read the latest issue of IOL Travel digital magazine here.