Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Buffalo After Diving Over 20,000 Feet

A SkyWest Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Buffalo after plunging over 20,000 feet in a matter of minutes. The flight, which was in route from Chicago to Hartford, began to quickly descend after the crew feared a cabin door may have swung open at 37,000 feet and caused pressure problems, says the NY Daily News. One passenger said that the plane went into a "nosedive" and the "airplane was shaking.".

Three passengers were said to have lost consciousness. NBC Connecticut reports that a registered nurse on board claims the crew enlisted her help when the first passenger grew faint just an hour into the flight. SkyWest representatives said the cabin door had not opened and there was not a loss of pressure after examining the aircraft. SkyWest spokesman Wes Horrocks said "When we don't know exactly what may have led the passenger to lose consciousness, we want to rule out as many factors as possible."

The pilot was said to have been unaware of the cabin door status, however. The pilot then acted "out of an abundance of caution", after the first person passed out, and maneuvered the plane to where the air was breathable - 10,000 feet. The plane dropped 7,000 feet per minute, FlightAware reported.

Once the flight had landed at Buffalo International Airport at 11:40 a.m, Wednesday, passengers were evaluated and received oxygen at the airport but only the first sick passenger needed medical attention, officials said. Officials are currently investigating.