Plane Headed To John Wayne Airport Diverted To Wichita After Emergency Slide Opens Inside Plane
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A United flight headed to John Wayne Airport from Chicago was diverted to Wichita after an emergency slide inflated inside the aircraft during flight.
United Air Flight 1463 landed safely at Mid-Continent Airport just after 10:30 p.m. local time Wichita.
The plane, a Boeing 737 with 100 passengers on board, left Chicago at 8:36 p.m. It was scheduled to arrive in Orange County at 9:15 p.m. our time.
No injuries were reported.
KWCH, the local CBS affiliate in Wichita, said the emergency slide somehow inflated inside the aircraft at the rear of the aircraft.
Initial reports from the station and dispatchers said a passenger tried to open a door but those reports proved to be erroneous.
Brittney Hopper, reporting from John Wayne Airport, said passengers heard a popping sound.
No one was standing near the slide when it deployed.
Some passengers tweeted how scared they were.
Sunday evening, United Airlines issued a statement that read, "We are flying in another aircraft to resume the flight and get our customers to their final destination as quickly as possible."
Passengers will spend the night in Wichita and arrive at John Wayne Airport Monday morning, Hopper reported.
