A routine Delta flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City turned into a terrifying midair emergency when oxygen masks suddenly dropped from the ceiling and the aircraft began a rapid descent.
Delta Flight 2311, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, experienced an unexpected pressurization problem on September 6. The Boeing 737 reportedly descended roughly 27,000 feet in about 10 minutes as the crew took immediate action.
The pilots requested a descent to 9,000 feet and diverted toward Las Vegas.
In air traffic control communications, the pilot reported:
“Delta 2311 currently [in] rapid descent. We’d like to get down to 9,000, and we’re direct [to] Las Vegas.”
When the controller asked whether the oxygen had deployed, the pilot replied:
“Affirmative.”
Inside the cabin, passengers suddenly found themselves wearing oxygen masks while the aircraft rapidly descended to an altitude where the air would be safe to breathe without supplemental oxygen.
One passenger later described the experience as especially frightening because travelers initially had little idea what was happening. Flight attendants were reportedly making announcements while wearing their own oxygen masks, making them difficult to hear.
The passenger said the uncertainty was terrifying enough to make them wonder whether they might have to send final messages to loved ones.
The crew eventually landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Passengers exited the aircraft normally, and Delta arranged another aircraft to continue their journey to Salt Lake City.
A retired U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot described this type of pressurization event as an “extremely rare” occurrence, explaining that pilots must descend rapidly and get the aircraft to a suitable airport as soon as practical.
Fortunately, the crew followed their procedures, the oxygen masks deployed, and the aircraft reached a safe altitude before landing without reported injuries.
For the passengers, however, those roughly 10 minutes of rapid descent must have felt much longer.
