UPDATE: Commercial Plane Heading to Connecticut Makes Emergency Landing

By DENNIS ROBAUGH (Patch National Staff)

A plane carrying 75 passengers left O’Hare International Airport Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. for Bradley Airport in Connecticut but was forced into an emergency landing — descending 28,000 feet in just five minutes — after the cabin lost pressure mid-flight.

SkyWest Flight 5622 landed safely in Buffalo, NY, shortly after 11:30 a.m. Central time.

NBC, ABC and Reuters are reporting that as many as four passengers lost consciousness when the cabin depressurized. An FAA investigation is under way. Early reports cited by ABC and NBC of the main cabin door opening mid-flight are being denied by SkyWest. Government officials will not comment on the cabin door reports.

In a statement, the FAA said the pilot reported a pressurization problem and prepared for an emergency landing. The plane, an Embraer E170 narrow-body jet operating as United Express Flight 5622, passed over Michigan and made its rapid descent over Lake Erie to land at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

This flight-track log posted on FlightAware.com, a live flight tracking website, depicts the plane’s rate of descent from 40,000 feet. An airline spokeswoman said such a rapid descent is a standard procedure when a plane loses pressure because the oxygen content of the air is richer at lower altitudes.

SkyWest told NBC News shortly after 1 p.m. that the passenger door did not open and the plane was diverted due to one passenger passing out. Government sources told NBC that the plane was forced into an emergency landing due to a loss of cabin pressure and several people lost consciousness.

SkyWest spokeswoman Marissa Snow said the oxygen masks did not release.

WIVB.com in western New York reports that a dozen passengers reported feeling nauseous and light-headed, according to Daniel J. Neaverth, Jr., commissioner of the Department of Erie County Emergency Services, but no cockpit lights went off indicating a pressure drop in the cabin. Those people received medical evaluations after landing. One person received medical treatment, according to the airline.

SkyWest, headquartered in Utah, flies about 1,700 flights each day and is partnered with several major airlines, including United, Delta and American airlines. In a recent survey of airline quality conducted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, SkyWest ranked third-worst among carriers for service. Last month, Forbes magazine ranked SkyWest as one of the best employers in the airline industry.

flight path via flightradar24

This story is developing. Check back later for more.

Other stories on Patch:

• One Year After Maren Sanchez Tragedy, Milford Turns Grief to Compassion
• Report: Trumbull Woman Punches Fairfield Woman in the Face Over Soon-to-be Ex-Husband
• 11 Sandy Hook Families State They Have No Association with McGraw Concert Group
• Danbury Nanny Accused of Intentionally Burning Child Enters Plea