In Brief: Bizarre “Medical Issue” Forces United Flight Diversion, One Passenger Hospitalized

United Airlines Flight 447 was en route from Denver to Los Angeles when it diverted shortly after takeoff Wednesday morning. According to reports, a drop in cabin pressure caused several of the 150 passengers onboard to fall ill and oxygen masks were deployed.

Emergency response teams met UA 447 when it landed at Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT). Firefighters found everyone conscious when they boarded the Airbus A320. Ten passengers who claimed to have headaches and nausea, all sitting near one another, were examined at the scene. One person was taken to a nearby hospital.

“There were zero air quality deficiencies, there was really no reason for it,” Shawn Montgomery, a spokesman for the Grand Junction Fire Department, said of the “medical issue.”

Passengers continued their journey to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) aboard a different aircraft later that morning. United representatives say maintenance workers will inspect the A320 before it returns to service.

For more information on this story, visit the Los Angeles Times.

[Photo: Shawn Montgomery / Grand Junction Fire Department]