Multiple passengers on a Delta Airlines flight out of Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday reportedly suffered ruptured eardrums and bloody noses after the aircraft encountered pressurization issues 10,000 feet in the air.
“I grabbed my ear, and then I pulled my hand back, and there was blood on it,” passenger Jaci Purser told KSL TV of the “stabbing” pain in her ear. She told the outlet she felt her ear pop from the pressure in the cabin, then bubble.
The Boeing aircraft was carrying 140 passengers en route to Portland, Oregon when the plane was “unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet” and “oxygen masks did not deploy,” a spokesperson for the airline told People.
“I looked over at my husband, and he had both of his hands over his ears, you know, kind of leaning forward,” passenger Caryn Allen told KSL.
“I looked about a row behind me, over on the other side of the aisle, and there was a gentleman that clearly had a very bad bloody nose, and people were trying to help him,” Allen told the outlet.
Passengers told KSL they also felt the plane dip before it was rerouted back to Salt Lake International Airport, where at least 10 people required medical evaluation or treatment, according to the airline. No serious injuries were reported.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203 on Sept. 15,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement.
“The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs.”
Passengers were accommodated on another flight and Delta technicians fixed the pressurization issue on the aircraft, the airline said.
The plane was returned to service the following day, the outlets reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the matter is under investigation.
