FAA Investigating Cabin Pressure Incident on Delta Air Lines Flight

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a cabin pressure incident on a Delta Air Lines flight last September 15. The cabin pressure issue caused passengers to bleed from their noses and ears.

The Delta flight flew from Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon, aboard a Boeing 737-900ER aircraft. Delta said that medical personnel were on standby at the gate and identified 10  passengers needing medical attention. 

Speaking to local news station KSL-TV, passengers said that they’d noticed something was wrong. Passenger Caryn Allen said, “I looked over at my husband, and he had both of his hands over his ears, you know, kind of leaning forward.” 

Allen added, “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.”

Another passenger, Jaci Purser told KSL,  “I grabbed my ear, and I pulled my hand back, and there was blood on it.”

The flight landed in Salt Lake City without further incident according to Delta. Oxygen masks were not deployed during the incident. In a statement, Delta said, “We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203 on Sept. 15.” It added, “The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs.”

The airline offered to cover both transportation and medical expenses. 

Cabin Pressure Issue

The aircraft failed to pressurize above 10,000 feet, according to Delta. During pressurization issues, pilots are trained to make controlled descents below the altitude of 12,000 feet. Here, supplemental oxygenation is not needed. 

Because of the incident, the Boeing aircraft was taken out of service the same day. It went back into service on September 16. 

However, the FAA’s investigation of the pressurization incident is routine practice and not related to recent safety issues experienced by Boeing.