Mumbai, September 15: According to a New York Post report, a United Airlines jet dropped 28,000 feet in 10 minutes before changing directions to head back to New Jersey. On Wednesday, Flight 510 was travelling from Newark to Rome when it encountered a cabin pressure problem. A total of 14 crew members and 270 passengers made up the Boeing 777, according to a spokesperson for United Airlines who talked to The Washington Post. This happened a few months after another United Airlines flight abruptly lost altitude shortly after departing Maui.

According to information provided by FlightAware, the Newark to Rome flight departed from Newark Liberty International Airport at 8:37 pm local time and returned at 12:27 am. In a statement, the airline said that the reason the jet had to return to Newark was "to address a potential loss of cabin pressure." Video: United Airlines Plane Reports Sparks, Drops Debris Mid-Air As It Takes Off From Newark Airport; Lands Safely After Dumping Fuel.

The airline representative said that there was never any cabin pressure decrease during the trip. The "pressurisation issue" was recognised by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who also said that it forced the pilot to change direction. However, the jet had already descended 28,000 feet in just 10 minutes when the switch-up took place. According to United Airlines, the passengers were accommodated in a different aircraft and arrived at their destination.

Previously, a United Airlines 777 that took out from Kahului Airport in Hawaii in December of last year dropped for 21 seconds straight into the water immediately after takeoff, according to flight monitoring data. Nearly 800 feet separated the aircraft from sea level. On December 18, there was an incident involving United Flight 1722. However, neither the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) nor the airline reported any casualties as a result. Greek Plane Crash: Air Force Water-Dropping Aircraft Crashes While Diving Into Wildfire; Both Pilots Dies (Watch Video). 

About a minute had passed since takeoff when the plane plunged. According to FlightRadar24 data, the aircraft fell more than half of its height and approached the sea level within 775 feet. It increased in speed as it descended from 2,200 feet to 1,425 feet. Fortunately, it was able to resume its ascent out of Kahului on the island of Maui.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 15, 2023 04:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).