Escape chute opens mid-air on U.S. plane

Chicago: A US plane carrying 101 people dropped from 38,000 feet to 11,000 feet in 12 minutes when its emergency evacuation slide opened mid-air but the pilot managed to make an emergency landing, averting a tragedy.

The United Airlines plane heading to Los Angeles from Chicago was diverted to Wichita, Kansas, after the emergency slide “inadvertently deployed” in mid-flight. The plane landed at Mid-Continent Airport just after 10:30 pm (local time) on Sunday.

The Boeing 737-700 was flying at 38,000 ft at 10:05 pm and dropped to 11,000 ft in 12 minutes due to a loss in cabin pressure, according to FlightAware.com. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told CBS Wichita affiliate KWCH-TV that the emergency evacuation slide opened in mid-flight.

The spokesman said initial reports about a passenger trying to open a door during the flight were false and it is “impossible to open a door at that altitude”. The United Airlines released a statement saying 96 passengers and five crew members on board were unhurt.