A Delta flight recently experienced a cabin pressurization issue, resulting in injuries to several passengers, including ruptured eardrums. On Sunday, September 15, Delta Flight 1203, destined for Portland, had to return to its departure point in Salt Lake City due to an inability to pressurize above 10,000 feet.
As reported by People, the Boeing 737-900 was transporting 140 passengers when the incident occurred, during which the oxygen masks failed to deploy. At least 10 individuals required medical evaluation or treatment and were assisted by medics upon the plane’s return to Salt Lake City.
Meanwhile, passengers recounted the harrowing flight.
“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 TV the day after the incident. “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.”
A Delta Airline Passenger Recounts His Eardrum Apparently Bursting Following Pressurization Issues
Jaci Purser, a fellow passenger on the flight, recounted the alarming moment when her eardrum seemingly burst.
“I grabbed my ear, and I pulled my hand back, and there was blood on it,” she recalled.
Passengers reported to KSL TV that they felt the plane dip and looked out their windows to see it circling the Great Salt Lake.
“They finally announced that we were going to head back to the airport and still didn’t say why,” Allen recalled.
The outlet also noted that Purser described the sensation as if someone were stabbing her in the ear before she noticed the bleeding. She also experienced a popping sensation in her ear, followed by a bubbling feeling.
A Delta spokesperson remarked that the airline provided transportation to the hospital for its passengers.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203 on Sept. 15,” the airline told People 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.”
They also reported that the aircraft was removed from service on the morning of September 15. It returned to operation on September 16 after Delta technicians successfully resolved the pressurization issue.