A coast-to-coast Delta Air Lines flight traveling from New York City to Los Angeles yesterday morning seems to have been doubly jinxed, having suffered, not one, but two separate mishaps that inconvenienced to passengers and sent an injured crew member to the hospital.
While en route from JFK to LAX with 168 passengers on board, the aircraft was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Salt Lake City due to some “technical difficulties”. The pilot explained that a temperature instrument, part of a backup system that handles icing conditions, was malfunctioning.
The plane then landed safely in Salt Lake and passengers were deplaned. Repairs were made and passengers re-boarded at around 1:00 p.m. local time. But, fate was—quite literally—about to deal the beleaguered bunch another unfortunate blow.
Just as everyone was strapped back in and ready to go, an inflatable slide—the sturdy sort used in the event of emergency water landings— burst open inside the rear section of the plane while it was still sitting at the gate.
Sources told the New York Post that the “exploding” slide struck a Delta crew member in the head “like an airbag” in a car collision, injuring the unnamed person to such a degree that they were sent to a local hospital for evaluation.
The Post was also told that the crew had armed a rear door and that one of the panels blew out when the air slide was accidentally deployed. One of the passengers said that the catering crew somehow unintentionally set water-landing equipment off.
Passengers were once again asked to deplane and, unsurprisingly, appeared to be both alarmed and annoyed as they re-entered the airport.
PHOTO: Aircraft emergency slide. (photo via baranozdemir / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
A Delta spokesperson told the outlet in a statement, “Delta flight 520, operating from New York-JFK to Los Angeles diverted to Salt Lake City due to a maintenance issue.” They continued, “While on the ground, the same aircraft’s slide was deployed by accident. In an effort to get our customers to their final destination as quickly and safely as possible, they have been re-accommodated on a new aircraft. We apologize for the delay to their traveling plans. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people.”
Passengers were, indeed, booked aboard another aircraft that departed for Los Angeles at 4:00 p.m. and Delta issued them 7,500 rewards miles each as an apology for the inconvenience. A source told the Post that the injured Delta employee has been discharged from the hospital. A Delta source made it clear that Flight 520’s diversion to SLC did not constitute an actual emergency landing and was unrelated to the ensuing air slide incident.
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