‘I don’t think I’m going to make it’: Man agreed to fly on a plane with friends for lunch. Then pilot said something that froze him in his seat

A man flying on a small plane from Denver to Aspen recently experienced every traveler’s worst nightmare. He passed out during the flight and heard his pilot say the terrifying words, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” TikToker Nicodemus (@coyotenicodemus) shared the story of his Monday flight, which was supposed to be a quick round trip for lunch with friends.

According to BroBible, the trip started casually. Nicodemus had been invited by friends to fly out on a small plane, since one of them is an experienced pilot. However, he admitted that he partied too hard the day before, so he showed up at the airport hungover.

He quickly learned that the short, 45-minute route to Aspen is known for being a rough ride. Nicodemus described the initial turbulence in his TikTok clip as being “like being in the Tower of Terror.” He started feeling sick and began vomiting into the available barf bags.

Small plane turbulence near Denver can create dangerous flying conditions

The situation got much worse as they tried to land. The turbulence got so intense that Nicodemus passed out. When he collapsed, he dropped the vomit bag, spilling it all over himself. He woke up just 100 feet from the ground, seeing the other passengers starting to panic.

As the pilot tried to land the plane, they suddenly had to pull up and change course due to the severe conditions. During the rapid climb, as they tried to clear the mountains around the airport, Nicodemus heard the chilling quote over the headset. He remarked that is truly the last thing you ever want to hear from someone flying the plane.

The plane then experienced a major technical failure. The engine and lights turned off completely, setting off loud alarms inside the small aircraft. This wasn’t the only unexpected mid-flight emergency involving bodily fluids that has made headlines recently. Thankfully, the quick-thinking co-pilot reacted instantly, hitting an emergency button that managed to restart the plane. The group ditched the lunch plan and decided to head straight back to Denver.

The intense turbulence they faced isn’t rare when flying in or out of Denver. The city is known among travelers for having some of the bumpiest flights of any major United States airport. Denver sits right next to the massive Rocky Mountains, and the wind hitting that range creates a powerful, wave-like effect in the air.

While small planes are generally considered safe, they are more likely to be tossed around by these intense winds. If you’re someone who already gets nervous flying, a smaller aircraft will feel much worse than a large commercial jet. Stories of a flight attendant who survived falling thousands of feet show just how dangerous air travel incidents can become.

One commenter noted, “as soon as you said small plane AND Aspen i was like noooooo.” Another shared, “brother i’m currently super hungover this is my sign to not get in a small plane today.” A third commenter remarked, “Nope. I take a tiny plane to Martha’s Vineyard but I would be scared as hell in the mountains!”