Delta Air Lines passengers suffered bleeding eardrums and noses due to cabin pressure

A Delta Air Lines flight experienced cabin pressure problems and passengers suffered from bleeding eardrums, headaches and bloody noses.

The flight was on a Sunday flight from Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon, when the pilots of the five-year-old Boeing 737-900ER noticed a pressure problem and made an emergency landing in Utah's capital, according to the flight log.

The incident is currently being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Passengers told television station KSL that they noticed people bleeding as the plane lost altitude over the Great Salt Lake. The pilots announced they would return to the airport but did not explain why, said passenger Caryn Allen. Oxygen masks were not used.

Mrs Allen described watching her husband cover his ears in pain while other passengers tried to help a man across the aisle who was suffering from an uncontrollable nosebleed.

Another passenger, Jaci Purser, told KSL it felt like someone was stabbing her inner ear.

“I touched my ear, pulled my hand back and there was blood on it,” she said.

Paramedics met passengers at the gate and identified at least 10 of the flight's 140 passengers who required medical attention. They recommended that anyone bleeding go to the hospital for further evaluation, and Delta offered to cover transportation costs, the airline said.

“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on Flight 1203 on September 15,” Delta said in a statement. “The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC, where our teams on the ground assisted our customers with their immediate needs.”

The airline said the plane was taken out of service on Sunday and returned to service the next day after technicians fixed a problem that caused the aircraft to be unable to maintain pressure at altitudes above 10,000 feet, Delta said.

Sensational incidents

Boeing finds itself in the midst of one of the worst crises in its history following a series of spectacular incidents involving its aircraft.

The company agreed earlier this year to pay billions of dollars in damages and fines after its 737 Max short-haul jet was involved in two crashes – one in Indonesia in 2018 and the other in Ethiopia in 2019 – that killed 346 people.

The plane was later grounded for 20 months after investigators found that the incidents were related to a new flight stabilization feature that Boeing had installed.

In January, the company made headlines when the door stopper on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 fell off from an altitude of 19,000 feet.

The passengers' luggage and belongings were sucked out of the plane as the cabin depressurized rapidly. Many of the passengers reported having had traumatic experiences. Three people filed a lawsuit demanding $1 billion in damages.

Just a week later, a 737 en route between the Japanese cities of Sapporo and Toyama was forced to land when a crack was discovered in a cockpit window. The following week, a 747-8 was forced to make an emergency landing in Miami after it reportedly caught fire in mid-air.

The incidents followed reports that a 737 Max veered off the runway while landing in Houston, a 737-900 was forced to land after flames erupted from its engine, and a tire fell off a 777 in San Francisco.

Most recently, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner crashed during a flight from Sydney to Auckland, injuring dozens of passengers, and there were also reports of a 737-800 arriving at Portland International Airport with part of its underbody panel missing.

Following the airplane door incident in January, Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun released a statement saying the company had “closely examined” its operations to ensure safety.

“Following the Jan. 5 737 accident, we immediately took containment and mitigation measures to ensure the safety of the aircraft,” he said. “We also made the decision to reduce production after closely reviewing every aspect of our operations.”

The company has since released an 11-page summary of its “Product Safety and Quality Plan” that outlines the steps the company is taking, including increased inspections and tighter controls on suppliers. The document also describes how Boeing will measure its improvements.