Sounds quite a bit like wake turbulence. As planes move through the air, they leave air vortices called “wake” (much like a boat does in water). This effect is worse when airplanes are slow, like when they’re coming into land. Pilots try to avoid each other’s wake, but it’s invisible and sometimes you do hit it if the controller vectors you close behind another aircraft.

It produces a strong rolling motion and can even flip small airplanes.