There was a story about a Challenger 604 Jet that flew through the wake of an A380. The plane almost crashed and the pilot through a heroic effort managed to regain control and land the jet.
The Jet ended up a write off due to the structural stress it sustained through the ordeal.
The pprune pilots blog is in full yawn mode. Upsetting for passengers? Yes. Immediate clear and present danger? No. And the relevant agencies are not formally investigating this as a disaster scenario.
Wake turbulence is one of the reasons people are told to keep seatbelts on.
One of the comments pilots often make is that passengers often grossly overestimate the movement of the aircraft in situations like these. I highly, highly doubt that the plane was in “freefall” for 10 seconds.
The Jet ended up a write off due to the structural stress it sustained through the ordeal.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4337974/Jet-caught-w...
Insane!