Nose bleeds and burst eardrums as US plane suffers 'pressurisation issue'

Ten passengers on a recent flight in the US have needed medical treatment after a “pressurisation issue”. The Delta Air Lines 737-900 flight from Salt Lake City to Portland had just taken off on Sunday and was climbing when there was a cabin pressure warning. The pilots descended but not before some passengers suffered nose bleeds and burst eardrums. The oxygen masks did not deploy. Passenger Caryn Allen told KSL TV she saw her husband in pain: “He had both of his hands over his ears, you know, kind of leaning forward. “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.” The Aviation Herald quoted an unnamed passenger who said some children behind them were “screaming in pain”. “I noticed my ears were popping much more than normal upon take-off. A few minutes after departure, there was a rapid level off and possible descent. ... We landed no more than 10 minutes later, obviously overweight with a hard landing and heavy braking. “My ears were popping the entire time.” Paramedics met the plane when it landed back in Salt Lake City to treat the injured. The 140 passengers were later put on a replacement plane. Delta apologised to customers and said the plane’s pressurisation issue was later fixed. The plane returned to service the next day.<br/>