United Airlines flight plunges 28,000ft in 10 minutes then forced to reverse

A United Airlines flight plunged more than 28,000 feet in just 10 minutes and was forced to reverse course on Wednesday.

The flight was travelling from Newark to Rome but returned to Newark as the aircraft experienced an issue with its cabin pressure, forcing the plane to rapidly drop and the pilot to turn the aircraft carrying 270 passengers and 14 crew members around.

The plane returned to Newark “to address a possible loss of cabin pressure,” a United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.

“The flight landed safely and there was never any loss of cabin pressure,” the spokesperson said.

The Federal Aviation Administration also said the plane experienced a “pressurisation issue,” prompting it to reverse course.

But before the switch-up, the plane fell some 28,000 feet in just 10 minutes, according to FlightAware data.

The Italy-bound travelers eventually made it to their original destination as they debarked the Boeing 777 and were flown in another aircraft, United Airlines said.

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