A Korean Air flight bound for Taiwan had to turn back and make an emergency landing after detecting a fault with the aircraft's pressurization system.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 plane departed from Incheon
International Airport at 4:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, Yonhap News Agency
reported.
A pressurization fault was detected while the plane was
flying over South Korea’s southern Jeju Island, per Yonhap.
Roughly 30 minutes after taking off, the plane started
descending sharply, dropping nearly 25,000 feet in five minutes, according to
data from FlightRadar24.
This is a common procedure when pressurization issues are
detected to avoid further injury to passengers and crew from the lack of oxygen
and other risks at usual cruising altitudes.
Videos on social media show the plane shaking and oxygen
masks hanging from the ceiling.
Yonhap News Agency, citing information from the Ministry of
Land, Infrastructure and Transport, reported that 15 passengers were
hyperventilating and suffered from eardrum pain when the flight descended.
“We are fully cooperating with all relevant authorities to
investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident,” a Korean Air
spokesperson told Business Insider.
The spokesperson said 17 passengers were evaluated at
medical facilities and were discharged without severe injuries.
The aircraft Is just under five years old and was delivered
to Korean Air in July 2022, per Plane Spotters Net.
“Our commitment to the safety and well-being of our
passengers and crew remains unchanged. We apologize to all affected by this
incident,” the spokesperson said.
Passengers on the affected plane reached Taichung
International Airport safely on Sunday via a different flight, the Taipei Times
reported.
The Korean Air news comes after a week in which multiple
planes were forced to make emergency landings for various reasons.
On Thursday, a Malaysia Airlines plane was forced to turn
around and head back to Hyderabad, India. A video showed its engine on fire,
with sparks flying behind it.
Also, on Thursday, a United Airlines flight from Connecticut
to Colorado was cut short after a piece of its engine cover fell off during
takeoff.
Boeing planes have also been plagued by issues in recent
months. In January, a door plug came off a Boeing 737 Max 9 Alaska Airlines jet
at 16,000 feet, resulting in a gaping hole in the plane.
Several Boeing whistleblowers have since come forward with
bombshell testimonies alleging that the company cut corners with quality
control.
There have also been other instances of late where
commercial planes encountered sudden drops in cruising altitude that resulted
in injuries.
In May, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER airplane
encountered turbulence so severe that the plane dropped 178 feet in four
seconds.
The flight from London to Singapore was cruising at an
altitude of 37,000 feet over Myanmar when it was thrust up and down rapidly for
62 seconds, leading to one death and over 100 injuries.
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