Air Asia pilot asked passengers to pray after 'technical issue' caused extreme turbulence on flight

Flickr/Roderick Eime

An Air Asia X flight from Perth, Australia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was forced to turn around after the plane began to violently shake. 

According to CNN, the turbulence was so severe on flight D7237 that the pilot asked passengers to pray twice. Passengers were also told to brace for impact during the landing at the Perth airport, according to CNN, though the landing ended up being smooth. 

An airport spokesperson told the AFP that the pilot noticed "technical issues" and turned the plane around. 

At least one of the passengers onboard was able to catch the terrifying incident on camera. 

"The safety of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance to us. We are currently conducting an investigation into the cause of the incident together with our engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce. We are also cooperating fully with the local aviation authorities," Air Asia said in a statement. 

The company also said that it "always strctly follows the maintenance programme" as directed by the manufacturers. 

Rolls-Royce did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the company told CNN that it is aware of the incident and will be working with its partners to determine what happened.