The Taiwan-bound Korean Airlines Flight KE189 took off from Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Saturday. Just 50 minutes into the flight, however, the plane developed technical faults and soon the plane started plunging rapidly.
Chaos erupted onboard a Korean Air flight bound for Taiwan after a sudden malfunction in the plane's cabin pressurisation system left passengers suffering from nosebleeds and ear pain. Korean Air Flight KE189 rapidly dropped from over 30,000 feet to around 9,000 feet, creating extreme pain and causing health issues for several of the passengers, according to a report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Meanwhile, data with the flight tracking website Flightradar24 suggests the plane dropped around 26,900 feet in just 15 minutes.
At least two pilots allegedly suffered nosebleeds as a result of the sharp descent in altitude, while 15 more reported experiencing hyperventilation and ear ache. 13 persons were brought to a hospital for medical care, even though there were no reports of significant injuries.
Visuals of the cabin of the Korean Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft (HL8352), that departed Incheon and was heading to Taiwan, but returned back to Seoul (ICN)/ Runway 16R owing to pressurization issues. https://t.co/sZgLb3dni2 pic.twitter.com/bIwMkPY2hL
— FL360aero (@fl360aero)On social media, a Taiwanese passenger described the terrifying event, posting about how the plane plummeted just after lunch service and how turbulence rocked the cabin. She compared the feeling to a rollercoaster's powerful G-force.
According to a report by Dimsum Daily, the passenger complained of having excruciating head and ear ache as well as disorientation, leaving the youngsters on board terrified and in tears. The pilot made the decision to turn the aircraft around and made an emergency landing at Incheon International Airport.
Korean Air has apologised for the incident and launched an investigation into the cause of the malfunction and assured passengers that all necessary maintenance measures will be taken. According to reports, the rescheduled flight took off on Sunday at 10:30 am, over 19 hours later than intended.