Story highlights Data from Flightaware.com shows that the flight may have had cabin pressure issues

One passenger said staff "were screaming and looked tearful and shocked"

(CNN) Passengers aboard an AirAsia flight from Perth to Bali Sunday have criticized the flight crew for allegedly screaming when the plane rapidly descended 20,000 feet, following an apparent pressurization issue in the cabin.

"The panic was escalated because of the behavior of the staff, who were screaming and looked tearful and shocked," passenger Clare Askew told CNN affiliate Seven News Australia after the plane turned around and landed safely back in Perth.

"We look to them for reassurance and we didn't get any. We were more worried because of how panicked they were," she said.

Video showed oxygen masks deployed aboard AirAsia Flight QZ535, as a member of the cabin crew shouted "passengers, get down, passengers, get down." Such instructions are in line with routine flight crew practice when seeking to quickly secure passenger safety.

"They went hysterical. There was no real panic before that. Then everyone panicked," said another passenger, Mark Bailey.

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