JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Delta flight en route from Atlanta to Orlando had to make an emergency landing at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville on Monday afternoon following reports of smoke in the cabin, causing the oxygen masks to drop from the ceiling during the flight.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 757, which was carrying 200 passengers along with six crew members. Among the passengers was Peter Stewart from Atlanta, who was seated in the emergency exit row on Flight 1576, as he was traveling to Orlando for a business trip.

“We took off as usual. Initially, everything seemed normal. Then, the cabin started to get a bit warmer, and it became quite hot. We noticed the flight slowing down a bit, and without any warning, the oxygen masks deployed. Shortly afterward, the announcement was made that the cabin was losing pressure and we were instructed to put on our masks,” Stewart recounted.

He says he has logged nearly three million miles in the air over 40 years and this flight was unlike anything he’s ever experienced.

“This was the scariest time I’ve ever been in an airplane,” he said.

As the aircraft rapidly descended, Stewart was able to send one message to his family.

“I just said ‘I love you.’ In the moment, that’s the only thing that popped into my head. And then I went to write something more and the Wi-Fi cut off. And then the plane decelerated even more,” he said. “I know I was saying prayers at the time.”

In the cabin, he says passengers sat in silence.

“It was deathly quiet. In that moment where we’re descending quickly, we’re banking, like you couldn’t hear anything,” he said. “You could see people holding each other’s hands.”

While some passengers reported smelling smoke, Stewart said he didn’t see any. Delta says there are no indications of fire on the plane.

As the plane made it’s quick descent to Cecil Airport, Stewart credits the pilots for their skillful handling of the emergency.

“Delta has a lot of ex-military pilots. That would be my guess on who was flying. Because the way that plane banked like that, so tightly while descending altitude so quickly, I think that was a very competent crew that performed that maneuver and got us into that small airport so quickly,” Stewart said.

Once safely on the ground, emotions overflowed.

“Everybody like erupted in applause for the pilots,” he said.

Delta sent a statement to First Coast News apologizing to customers: “Safety comes before everything else at Delta and our teams will now focus on taking care of our customers and getting them to their destinations.”

The airline arranged ground transportation to get passengers including Stewart to Orlando.

“Delta Air Lines Flight 1576 landed safely at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, around 2 p.m. local time Monday, June 9, after the crew reported a pressurization issue. The Boeing 757-200 was flying from Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Orlando International Airport. The FAA will investigate. Contact the airline for information,” an FAA statement said.

Asked whether he plans to fly back home to Atlanta, Stewart says he may take a break from flying this week.

“Honestly, I haven’t made up my mind yet. Like part of me wants to just rent a car. And drive back.”