Washington: A Southwest Airlines flight
made an emergency landing in Arizona after a hole blew in the
top of the aircraft, according to the airline.
Flight 812 declared an emergency "due to loss of
pressurisation in the cabin" and landed safely in Yuma,
Arizona about 40 minutes after takeoff yesterday, Southwest
said in a statement.
"Upon safely landing in Yuma, the flight crew
discovered a hole in the top of the aircraft," the Southwest
statement said.
None of the 118 passengers were hurt but one flight
attendant "received a minor injury upon descent," the
airline's statement said.
The flight departed from Phoenix, Arizona at about
3:25 pm (local time) and was bound for Sacramento, California.
The plane landed at Yuma Marine Corps Air
Station/International Airport at 4:07 pm (local time), Federal
Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Yuma is 185 miles west of Phoenix and located near the
Mexican border.
"We do not know the cause of the decompression,"
Gregor said. "People on the ground in Yuma are reporting
there's a hole in the fuselage."
An FAA inspector from Phoenix was en route to Yuma, he
said. The National Transportation Safety Board also was
investigating.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, April 02, 2011, 23:39