A recent Delta Air Lines flight experienced a midair scare when oxygen masks suddenly dropped in the passenger cabin. The incident occurred on September 6 aboard Delta Flight 2311, which was traveling from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City with 174 passengers and six crew members.
According to a Delta spokesperson, a pressurization issue prompted the crew to bring the plane to a lower altitude and divert to Las Vegas. The flight descended approximately 27,000 feet in about 10 minutes, with oxygen masks deploying in the cabin. News of the rapid descent was audible in communications between the pilots and air traffic control.
The aircraft landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, where passengers exited normally. Delta arranged for another aircraft to continue the journey of the affected passengers. The airline apologized to its customers for the experience and thanked its flight crews and support teams for their professionalism.
Matthew Buckley, a retired U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot with nearly 40 years of flying experience, described such a pressurization occurrence as an extremely rare issue in the United States. He noted that in such a scenario, pilots would need to land as soon as practical at the closest airfield with a suitable runway.
Passengers on the flight described the chaos inside the cabin, with one traveler recounting the experience on Reddit. The passenger said the scariest part was not knowing what was going on, and that flight attendants struggled to make announcements while wearing oxygen masks.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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