So you’re flying several thousand feet above the North Sea when you hear a voice over the intercom say, “This is an emergency announcement… We may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water.” That’s what happened to 275 passengers on a British Airways flight from London to Hong Kong earlier this week. But there’s a semi-happy ending — the announcement was a mistake.

BA has issued an apology for the error, which reportedly occurred when the pilot hit the wrong button and accidentally triggered the pre-recorded emergency announcement.

According to reports, the plane’s crew realized the mistake right away and immediately began working the aisles to calm the terrified passengers.

“We all thought we were going to die,” on traveler on the plane told the press afterward.

In a statement following the incident, a rep for BA said:

We apologise to passengers on board the flight for causing them undue distress… Our cabin crew immediately made an announcement following the message advising customers that it was an error and that the flight would continue as normal.

“We’re about to crash,” BA passengers told in error [Reuters]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.