FAA investigates after cabin pressure malfunction injures Delta passengers

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after pressurization issues on a Delta Air Lines flight forced the plane to turn around and caused injuries.

Delta Flight 1203 departed Salt Lake City with 140 passengers on board early Sunday and was headed for Portland International Airport in Oregon when “the aircraft was unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet,” Delta said in an emailed statement to The Washington Post.

The flight was forced to return to Salt Lake City International Airport and landed around 8:30 a.m. Oxygen masks were not deployed, and medical personnel who met passengers at the gate identified 10 people who needed further medical evaluation or treatment, Delta said.

“We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203,” the airline said in the statement.

“The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs,” it added.

Cabin pressurization is important for ensuring that passengers and crew are able to breathe well on planes and stay conscious.

Local NBC affiliate KSL TV 5 spoke with a passenger it identified as Jaci Purser, who said during a broadcast that she suffered a ruptured ear drum on the flight.

“I grabbed my ear and I pulled my hand back and there was blood on it,” she said in a televised interview. “It sounds like I am underwater when I talk,” she added.

Another passenger told KSL TV 5 that she witnessed a fellow flier suffering from a severe bloody nose.

The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-900ER, was taken out of service after landing Sunday morning, but it was allowed to operate again the next day. “Delta technicians worked the pressurization issue on the aircraft successfully,” the airline said.

The plane is not part of Boeing’s beleaguered 737 Max series, which came under intense scrutiny earlier this year when a door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight blew out midair after it appeared to have been installed without four bolts meant to keep it intact.