Interview with John Maucere after his emotional vlog about frightful flight experience

Renca: Hello! Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and chat. We reached out to you because of your powerful and very impactful vlog. I saw that many people left comments, and there were many emotional and heartfelt reactions. Including mine, too. When I watched it, I was deeply touched and teared up myself. It feels like your experience and what you explained in that video went viral.

[Clip of John Maucere’s video on Facebook.]

There was some turbulence. But it didn’t feel right.

I was terrified.

Everyone’s heads were bobbing around.

The lights kept flickering.

Then the plane suddenly lifted, shooting upwards.

Our heads plunged backwards. Finally, we got out of turbulence.

That guy in the back who could hear let me know that the flaps on the wings, which were responsible for the brakes for a smooth landing, had disconnected. What? People everywhere had been turning their heads because of the announcement about that. I found out about it later after he told me. I was terrified. Seriously? Yes. We had to stay positive.

Renca: That person who came, he just happened to be an interpreter? Luckily you had someone who could sign and interpret for you.

John: It really was a huge blessing. That guy is an actor, but he works as an interpreter. We were acting together, but he was an interpreter too. His name is Gabe. He explained what was happening. During all of that intense turbulence, thoughts were running through my head and I knew it was turbulence, but I felt it was more than that. I’ve flown over one million flights, but that one was different. When we rose above the clouds, Gabe immediately came to me and let me know what was happening. Wow. If he hadn’t been there, I would have been lost.

Renca: I’m glad that person thought of you, too. He could have stayed in his seat, but he knew that you needed to know and so he went over to tell you. Wow.

John: You know, while that was going on in the plane, people were freaking out. That interpreter had the time to take his seatbelt off and run to me. He was crying. He came to share what was happening. Everything was spoken. I must say, I am really grateful to Gabe. He’s not just an interpreter. He has a heart for Deaf people.

Renca: If you were the only Deaf person on the plane, what should be improved? How could airlines communicate that? I’m sure this has happened to other Deaf people, too. So I’m curious what your thoughts are on how to improve that.

John: I’ve been thinking about it after that incident happened. The FAA needs to improve. Communicate with Deaf and hard of hearing people via text. Almost all planes now have wifi, and notifications pop up from the airline company letting you know that you can pay if you want to use more features. That should be turned on for everyone in the case something happens so they can instantly message us an update about what’s happening. Those announcements can be made from the cockpit to reach everyone else. I had no idea the flaps were disconnected, and I kept wondering what was going on. If I had gotten a text, I would have been calmer. That guy let me know that the flaps attached to the wings had been disconnected, and I was scared, but we had to take a longer way for a longer landing. He also said we were hoping for the best. Him communicating this with me gave me some hope, and that’s nice. A message would have helped a lot. I think that really should happen.

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You know, when we go in the air, our phones lose connection. But leave the airplane mode off, so that way you can connect once your plane reaches under 10,000 feet, I think. That means if, god forbid, something happens… You’ll have your message ready. I saw this from someone and really liked it - this person said that he tends to write a message before he takes off, and he holds on to it throughout the flight. If necessary, he’ll send that message to all his loved ones. That’s what I did. I did wonder if it was the end. All I could think about was my family. You can see the photo was blurry. That was during the turbulence. After the plane lowered, my phone connected and the message was sent to my wife and family. If anyone is feeling unsure, just go ahead and send that message. If you land safely, then you can let them know. Whatever happens, they will get that message.

Renca: Agreed. Right.

John: I feel that… I admit that I rush through things sometimes. I love, love my family, but when that happened in the plane, I felt I hadn’t had enough time. It wasn’t enough. My life flashed before my eyes and I did have a quick flashback. It wasn’t enough. I told my family I loved them, and then I was okay. That was a huge relief and I immediately called my family. I wish I had done more, I admit that. Hopefully I do better from now on.

Renca: I think when the potential end of your life is in front of you, you’ll realize you want more time to do more, say more. What we’re thinking - say it. What’s on your heart - say it. Do we know how long our lives will last? We don’t. That was a reminder to us to not take it for granted.

John: Very true.

Renca: I hope your story will inspire more Deaf people to share their stories, and bother the FAA for more access for us, because it’s not guaranteed we will have a signer on the plane who can let us know what’s going on.

John: We need to keep reaching out to them, and I hope that story is shared all over.

Renca: Thank you again, and you’re right. Don’t take life for granted.

John: Cherish your loved ones. Always.