Terrified passengers were forced to use oxygen masks after a Korea Air flight dropped nearly 30,000ft in just 15 minutes, following a cabin pressure failure on the Boeing plane.
The Boeing 737 Max 8, which left Incheon International Airport at 4:45 p.m. local time on Saturday and was heading to Taichung International Airport, developed a pressurisation fault while it was flying over South Korea’s southern Jeju Island just 30 minutes after taking off.
Footage of the incident shared online showed passengers in distress, with children crying loudly during the descent.
Data from FlightRadar shows the plane dropped 26,900ft in just 15 minutes, resulting in 17 passengers needing medical attention.
Passengers suffered from eardrum pain, and also needed treatment for hyperventiliation. All 17 were later discharged without severe injuries.
The flight to Taichung International Airport resumed on Sunday on a different aircraft.
Korean Air said: ‘We are fully cooperating with all relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. We have provided comprehensive support to affected passengers, including accommodation, meals, and transportation arrangements.’
Korean Air also apologised to ‘all affected by this incident’.
Boeing, the plane that suffered a malfunction during the flight, has been under massive pressure following a string of incidents involving their planes.
Last night, reports claimed that US prosecutors are recommending that criminal charges be brought against the plane manufacturer.
Prosecutors are suggesting charges after finding the plane maker violated a settlement related to two fatal crashes, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
In May, officials determined the company breached a 2021 agreement that had shielded Boeing from a criminal charge of conspiracy to commit fraud arising from two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving the 737 MAX jet.
Under the 2021 deal, the Justice Department agreed not to prosecute Boeing over allegations it defrauded the Federal Aviation Administration so long as the company overhauled its compliance practices and submitted regular reports. Boeing also agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the investigation.
The sources did not specify what criminal charges Justice Department officials are considering, but one of the people said they could extend beyond the original 2021 fraud conspiracy charge.
Alternatively, instead of prosecuting Boeing, the DOJ could extend the 2021 settlement by a year or propose new, stricter terms, the sources said.
In the two crashes – in Indonesia in 2018 and in Ethiopia in 2019 – MCAS automatically pointed the nose of the plane down based on faulty sensor readings, and pilots were unable to regain control.
On October 29, 2018, the Boeing 737 MAX operating the Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew.
Five months later, on March 10, 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft which operated Ethiopian flight 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia, six minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people aboard.
Investigations into the 2018 and 2019 crashes pointed to a flight-control system that Boeing added to the Max without telling pilots or airlines.
Boeing downplayed the significance of the system, then didn´t overhaul it until after the second crash.