Delta Flight 2311 Drops 27,000 Feet in 10 Minutes, Diverts to Las Vegas
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 9
Delta Flight 2311 Drops 27,000 Feet in 10 Minutes, Diverts to Las Vegas
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 9
Summary
Delta Flight 2311 plunged about 27,000 feet in 10 minutes on Sept. 6 after an unexpected pressurization problem triggered oxygen-mask deployment aboard the LAX-to-Salt Lake City flight.
174 passengers and six crew were on board when pilots told air traffic control they were in a rapid descent, requested 9,000 feet and headed directly to Las Vegas.
Harry Reid International Airport received the aircraft safely, Delta said, and passengers exited normally before the airline arranged another plane to continue the trip.
Matthew "Whiz" Buckley, a former airline and Navy pilot, said such pressurization failures are extremely rare in the U.S. and require landing as soon as practical at the nearest suitable runway.
Online passenger accounts described confusion inside the cabin, saying masked flight attendants were hard to hear and the lack of clear information made the episode more frightening than the descent itself.