Plane Makes Rapid Descent Due to Pressurization Problem

A United Airlines flight was forced to descend 28,000 feet in just eight minutes because of what the airline called a pressurization problem.

The flight was headed from Newark Liberty International Airport to Rome and returned to New Jersey.  

It was a Boeing 777 carrying 270 passengers and 14 crew members. The incident happened on Thursday night, September 14. 

Although United admitted that the plane had a “possible” pressurization issue, the carrier noted that the flight never lost cabin pressure despite dropping from 37,000 feet to under 9,000 feet in eight minutes. 

It is natural for pilots to descend in altitude when a cabin pressure issue is detected. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said flight 510 was able to safely return to Newark Liberty without incident a little after midnight on Thursday. 

Passengers were able to complete their flight to Italy on another United plane. 

 

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