SkyWest jet makes emergency landing after several passengers pass out

A SkyWest jet made an emergency landing after 3 passengers lost consciousness

(Image credit: AP/YouTube)

published 23 April 2015

On Wednesday, a SkyWest flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Windsor Locks, Connecticut, made a harrowing emergency landing in Buffalo, New York, after three passengers lost consciousness and several of the other 72 passengers started feeling ill. The Utah-based airline originally said it made its emergency stop "out of an abundance of caution," though the plane descended very sharply — as fast as 7,000 feet a minute, according to Flight Aware.

SkyWest says that all the passengers were treated at the airport and released, and that it doesn't know what happened yet. "After examination by maintenance personnel and local authorities, there have been no indications of a pressurization problem or other issues with the aircraft," said spokeswoman Marissa Snow. "Our investigation is ongoing." Below, The Associated Press talks to a nurse who examined the passengers and requested the emergency landing. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.