The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a Delta Air Lines flight made an emergency landing Sunday morning due to a pressurization problem, resulting in at least 10 people requiring medical attention.
In a statement, Delta told CBS News that paramedics met passengers at the gate and identified 10 individuals in need of evaluation or treatment. There were 140 passengers on board.
The passengers were all treated and released by medics but airport officials say some may have opted to take themselves to the hospital for further treatment. The airline told CBS News that it offered to cover transportation costs for customers to go to medical facilities.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department, which deployed the paramedics to the scene, said it could not comment on incidents that occur on airport grounds, but confirmed that its medics did not take anyone to the hospital.
Delta flight 1203 was en route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Portland, Oregon, when a pressurization issue occurred, prompting the flight to return to Salt Lake City. Oxygen masks did not deploy but the plane was unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet, according to the airline.
The pilots of the five-year-old Boeing 737-900ER declared an emergency and descended below 10,000 feet. According to flightradar24.com‘s preliminary flight data, the plane was only briefly above the 10,000 foot level.
“Descending below 10,000 per cabin altitude warning,” the pilots of flight 1203 can be heard telling air traffic controllers in audio obtained by CBS News from LiveATC.Net, “And Delta 1203 we’re declaring an emergency.”
The FAA told CBS News in a statement the plane “landed without incident at around 8:30 a.m. local time.”
The FAA said it is investigating the incident.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203 on Sept. 15,” Delta said in a statement provided to CBS news. “The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs.”
The airline said the plane was taken out of service on the morning of Sept. 15 and went back into service on Sept. 16. after technicians resolved the pressurization issue.
