International

Air Slide Opens Inside US Plane, Leaves Crew Member Injured

US: The plane was flying with 168 people on board when the captain indicated that they would have to land in Salt Lake City due to technical difficulties, the report said.

Omicron Covid-19 variant could delay resumption of international flights.(File photo-Representational image)
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A Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles made an emergency in Utah due to technical issues, the reports said. 

An air slide unexpectedly deployed inside the plane after it landed and injured a crew member, they said.

The crew member was later rushed to the hospital, they added.

“The plane was flying with 168 people on board when the captain indicated that they would have to land in Salt Lake City due to technical difficulties. According to the captain, the temperature instrument in the backup system, which was required for icing conditions, was malfunctioning,” the New York Post stated.

As per the outlet, the Delta flight left New York at 7 am and landed in Utah where passengers were asked to deplane. 

“After a few hours and technical maintenance, the plane was set to take off again in the afternoon around 1 pm Utah time. When passengers reboarded the plane and were set to depart, an inflatable air slide at the back of the plane accidentally opened while the aircraft was still at the gate. A crew member was injured in the process and was later sent to a hospital. The employee was later discharged after all required check-ups,” it added.

A passenger said the crew had armed a rear door and that the air slide unintentionally opened, forcing a panel out of the door and striking the crew member "like an airbag" of a car, it said.

It added another passenger described the slide as "exploding" inside the aircraft. 

The report said the slide was mistakenly launched by the catering staff of the aircraft and struck the crew member in the head. 

The Los Angeles-bound passengers were provided with another flight from Utah, it mentioned.