Just a few moments after taking off from Atlanta's runway 09L, at roughly 2,200 feet, the crew of Brickyard Flight 4439 encountered a pilot’s worst nightmare: the plane’s pitch trim system suddenly went rogue. Pitch trim controls the angle of the aircraft’s nose—crucial for stable flight. As the captain realized he couldn't engage the autopilot, he immediately knew something was seriously wrong, as reported by The Aviation Herald.
As the plane began pitching sharply upward, both pilots had to physically wrestle their controls, fighting desperately to push the nose down. They quickly declared an emergency to air traffic control, reporting they had a "trim runaway" and were in a terrifying "stalling situation," unable to lower their nose.
With immense physical effort, both pilots strained against the plane’s relentless upward thrust. The situation rapidly intensified as the horizontal stabilizer—the component responsible for pitch—became stuck in a dangerously steep angle, forcing the plane into violent oscillations that reached as much as 27 degrees.
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Air traffic control immediately jumped into action, clearing airspace and offering emergency assistance. But despite ATC's help, the plane was still dangerously out of control. "We can't pitch down," the crew desperately informed controllers as the aircraft inexplicably climbed, then descended erratically, forcing the pilots into an exhausting fight for their lives.
One of the passengers on the flight, Austin Chen, vividly recalled the terrifying experience. "I knew something was wrong the second we took off," Chen shared in a YouTube comment.
"The pilots looked absolutely exhausted and in shock when they came out of the cockpit. It was definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced."
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In an extraordinary display of calm under pressure, the crew worked together to regain control. Recognizing that the malfunctioning trim system might be reversed, the captain decisively switched to the alternate control, finally stabilizing the aircraft enough to prepare for landing.
The incident, which occurred in November 2018, received little media coverage at the time but has gained attention recently due to increased scrutiny around airline safety following a series of high-profile mishaps. The pilots' quick thinking and extraordinary teamwork deserve renewed recognition, illustrating the vital role human judgment plays in aviation safety.
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The plane safely touched down on runway 10 approximately 19 minutes after departure. After landing, air traffic controllers and fellow pilots openly expressed admiration for the crew’s skillful handling of the crisis. A nearby Delta pilot chimed in over the radio, simply stating: "Nice job, guys."
The subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed a troubling series of errors. Earlier that day, maintenance personnel had partially removed and reinstalled the captain’s pitch trim switch upside down without a proper functional test. This meant that when the captain tried to lower the plane’s nose, he unintentionally commanded it to rise even higher.
"It cannot be overstated how close they came to disaster," another E175 pilot, who identified themselves as @fastfiddler1625 on YouTube, explained.
"A pitch trim runaway is one of the worst things you can face in a plane. It’s fast and insidious."
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Despite the harrowing situation, the pilots’ quick thinking and extraordinary teamwork turned a potential tragedy into a successful emergency landing, a testament to their training and courage. Fellow pilots and passengers alike expressed deep gratitude for the crew's extraordinary performance.
Passenger Austin Chen summed up the feelings onboard best: "I shook both of their hands and I wish I could contact them again to tell them how much I appreciate how amazing they were."
This article originally appeared earlier this year.
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Left, A woman cleans up manure; Right, a man driving
17 everyday things we do now that the future will find bizarre
A recent thread on r/AskReddit posed a fascinating question: “What’s something normal to us in 2025 that by 2075 will be seen as barbaric?”
With over 4,500 upvotes and thousands of comments, the responses ranged from hopeful predictions about medical breakthroughs to funny critiques of social norms. It’s an interesting thought experiment at how our everyday habits might age in the not-so-distant future. Here are 17 of the most memorable takes.
1. Wiping with toilet paper
Redditor u/Dramatic-Avocado4687 keeps it blunt: “Wiping our asses with toilet paper.”
Another user chimed in to roast our primitive ways: “They cut down trees just to wipe themselves?!” In the future, bidets—or some next-level cleaning tech—might make TP as outdated as outhouses.
2. Factory farming
Factory farming got called out repeatedly. User u/w0ke_brrr_4444 called it “the worst hell on earth that humans have ever created.”
Others noted the rise of lab-grown meat could render the practice obsolete. As u/AltEcho38 put it: “I’m convinced it’ll all be lab-grown by then, and we’ll be looked at as savages for raising animals for slaughter.”
3. Medical bankruptcies
The American healthcare system came under fire. User u/SarlacFace said, “Medical bankruptcies and for-profit healthcare leaving people to die if uninsured.”
If universal healthcare becomes the norm, future generations might shake their heads at the idea of choosing between chemo and rent.
4. Treating women’s pain like an afterthought
Many commenters didn’t hold back on this one. “Not giving anesthesia with placing IUDs,” wrote u/tt_DVM2011.
Another user, u/ThatRoryNearThePark, shared a harrowing experience: “Worst pain of my life… couldn’t sit upright for at least 48 hours.” If future medicine treats women’s pain with proper care, this era will look like the Dark Ages.
5. Eating animals
Some users went beyond factory farming to predict the end of meat consumption altogether. Redditor u/ciquta said simply, “Eating animals.”
Others, like u/Zetsubou51, lamented how disconnected people are from their food sources: “We don’t care because we don’t see it. Factory farms are awful for the animals and the people that work in them.”
6. Scrolling endlessly on social media
User u/cornylilbugger predicted: “Spending multiple hours, every day, scrolling mindlessly on social media.”
The irony wasn’t lost on u/Izual_Rebirth, who admitted: “Scrolled way too long to find this one.”
7. Single-use plastics
“Plastic everywhere, all the time,” wrote u/letthisbeanewstart, imagining future disbelief at how we let plastic infiltrate everything from straws to textiles.
U/MarkNutt25 added: “An even bigger problem is plastic textiles. Microfibers are evil.”
8. The 40-hour workweek
“Working a 9-5 just to survive? Barbaric,” said u/DeathofSmallTalk1.
User u/EvaMayShadee painted a grimmer future: “We’ll probably be working 60-hour weeks by then.” Optimism? Optional.
9. Drilling teeth
The dental industry might face a future reckoning. As u/llcucf80 put it: “Drilling teeth.”
One user brought hope with a scientific breakthrough: “If that new shot from Japan works, pull the tooth, get injection, grow a new tooth,” said u/nomiis19.
10. Chemotherapy
Redditor u/Helpful_Finger_4854 hopes cancer treatments will improve drastically: “Dying from cancer, hopefully.”
Another user, u/Vocalscpunk, put it more bluntly: “We still poison the whole body with chemo and hope the cancer dies first.”
11. Driving ourselves
“Driving yourself will seem barbaric,” predicted u/CranberryCheese1997, imagining autonomous vehicles becoming the norm.
12. Using fossil fuels
Redditor u/loftier_fish had a grim take: “If the answer isn’t ‘using fossil fuels,’ there will be a lot fewer humans to deem anything barbaric in 2075.”
13. Child influencers
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Using kids to generate content got roasted as a future ethical disaster. “Hopefully, monetizing your children for social media will seem barbaric,” wrote u/TheWorstWitch.
14. Modern healthcare procedures
Some users pointed out that many current medical practices could be judged harshly in the future. “Orthopedic surgery with drills, rods, and screws?” asked u/Orthocorey.
Another user joked: “So you guys just strapped them down and blasted them with radiation to cure cancer?!”
15. Animal captivity for entertainment
Redditor u/w0ke_brrr_4444 went in: “Drugged dolphins in resorts and whales at SeaWorld. Barbaric.”
16. Fast fashion and waste
Wastefulness came under fire. U/rabbity_devotee called out “fast fashion” and “overflowing landfills.”
17. The whole premise of this thread
Finally, some users argued that future humanity might not even have the luxury of judging our “barbaric” ways. As u/NapoleonDonutHeart put it: “By 2075, we’re gonna be way more barbaric… we’ll fight over everything once food gets scarce.”
Whether these predictions hold up or not, it's clear that what feels normal now won’t always be. And when 2075 finally rolls around, let’s hope they’re a bit kinder to us than we’ve been to the past.
This article originally appeared earlier this year.