A Delta Air Lines plane is on its way from Salt Lake City to Portland. Suddenly the cabin pressure drops and passengers start to bleed from their ears and noses. The plane turns around and makes an emergency landing. Passengers describe their harrowing experiences to a US broadcaster.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation after problems with the cabin pressure occurred on a Delta Air Lines flight. Some of the passengers bled from their ears or noses as a result of the violent pressure fluctuations.
The plane was en route from Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon, when the pilots of the five-year-old Boeing 737-900ER noticed a problem with the cabin pressure and initiated an emergency landing in Utah’s capital, according to the pilots’ logbook.
Passengers reported to the TV station KSLthat they saw people bleeding as the plane lost altitude over the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah. According to passenger Caryn Allen, the pilots announced that they would return to the airport but did not explain why. Oxygen masks were not used.
Allen also described her husband covering his ears in pain while other passengers tried to help a man across the aisle who had a severe bloody nose.
Another passenger, Jaci Purser, told KSL it felt like someone had stabbed her inner ear. “I touched my ear and when I pulled my hand back, there was blood on it,” she said.
Airline apologizes
At the gate, the passengers met paramedics who determined that at least 10 of the 140 passengers required medical attention. They advised all passengers with bleeding to go to the hospital for further examination. Delta Air Lines said it offered to cover the transport costs.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the experience they had on Flight 1203 on September 15,” the airline said in a statement. “The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC, where our ground staff assisted our customers with their immediate needs.”
The airline said the plane was taken out of service on Sunday. It returned to service on Monday after technicians fixed a problem that prevented the plane from building up pressure above 10,000 feet (about 3 km).
The Boeing plane that made the emergency landing on Sunday is not part of the manufacturer’s newer Max fleet, which had to be examined after a door stopper came loose during an Alaska Airlines flight in January while the plane was at an altitude of 16,000 feet (about 5 km) over Oregon.
Nevertheless, in late January, the FAA recommended more thorough inspections of other Boeing aircraft, including the 737-900ER, because it has the same door plugs as the Max jets.
AP/qty
