A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Salt Lake City was forced to make an emergency landing after a 27,000-foot downward spiral.
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The Boeing 737-900 flight departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) bound for Salt Lake City International Airport on Sunday, Sept. 6, when it experienced an "unexpected pressurization issue."
Moments later, chaos ensued as the plane began to descend quickly and oxygen masks were deployed from the cabinet.
Delta Passenger Recalls Terrifying Incident
A Reddit user who claimed to be a passenger on the flight detailed the scary incident as follows:
"The pressurization system failed. My ears immediately started hurting, and the oxygen masks dropped. We did a rapid descent into Las Vegas. The scariest part wasn't even the descent: it was not knowing what was going on. Flight attendants were trying to make announcements with their masks on. It was almost impossible to hear them."
The Boeing 737-900 was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members when it diverted to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
In a statement to PEOPLE, the airline said, "As safety comes before everything else at Delta, the flight crew of Delta flight 2311 followed their training and procedures to safely bring the aircraft to optimal altitude when an unexpected pressurization issue occurred."
Oxygen Masks Help to Combat Respiratory Complications
Passenger oxygen masks release whenever cabin pressure drops. Sometimes the flight crew might initiate the release. However, masks usually deploy automatically when the cabin altitude reaches 14,000 feet.
Whenever oxygen masks deploy, passengers have roughly 30 seconds to use them before symptoms start to set in. The Federal Aviation Administration describes this period as the time of useful consciousness, during which a person can still perform meaningful tasks after oxygen deprivation.
Most passengers who fail to secure their mask in that time window risk passing out.
The FAA stresses the importance of oxygen masks to avoid a medical condition called hypoxia, which is caused by "an insufficient supply of oxygen, inadequate transportation of oxygen, or the inability of the body tissues to use oxygen."
Thankfully, no one was injured in the recent Delta flight scare.
The flight reached LAS around 6:16 PM, according to FlightAware. Passengers deplaned normally after the aircraft landed safely. They were later rebooked on another flight to get to their final destination.
