TAMPA (CNN NEWSOURCE) – Frightening moments for passengers on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale when the plane dropped nearly 30,000 feet over an eight minute period.
A problem with the cabin’s pressure prompted an emergency landing, according to officials.
“Out of nowhere I felt what felt like a sort of a rapid descent,” passenger Harris DeWoskin said. “We started dropping in altitude and then air masks, the oxygen masks dropped from the top of the plane. Chaos sort of ensued amongst the passengers.”
DeWoskin snapped pictured during what he described as a panic on board.
“Initially it was sort of a panic, there wasn’t really any forewarning,” he said. “The oxygen masks dropped down. Then one of the flight attendants, I believe, grabbed the intercom and was just repeatedly over the intercom stating ‘do not panic, do not panic’ but obviously it’s a hectic moment so the passengers around me a lot of people were kind of hyperventilating breathing really hard.”
The flight was diverted to Tampa Wednesday evening and all passengers were rerouted to their original destination.
A Delta spokesperson provided the following statement:
“We apologize to our customers on flight 2353 from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, which diverted to Tampa out of an abundance of caution and landed without incident following a cabin pressurization irregularity en route.”
The plane is being evaluated by maintenance technicians, Delta adds.
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