Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 Diverts To Oklahoma City due to illness of crews and Pax
Delta Airlines flight DL537, traveling from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), made an unscheduled stop in Oklahoma on Friday, April 7th. The pilots made the decision to divert the flight due to an onboard medical issue, as three flight attendants became unwell. According to passenger Emmy Kelly, -
the flight attendants were having trouble breathing and feeling nauseous in the heat, although they didn't provide much information to the passengers.
According to Fox News, the lead flight attendant was among those who experienced difficulty breathing and had to use an oxygen mask. Along with the three flight attendants who felt unwell, nine passengers reported feeling dizzy.
At 5:52 PM local time, the flight landed at Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) where an ambulance was waiting to transport the affected individuals to the hospital. As of now, their current condition is unknown.
Delta's Boeing 757-200 with registration N667DN, a 32-year-old aircraft in the fleet, was operating the flight. The flight, which was carrying 197 passengers, was completely full for the Easter weekend travel. The scheduled itinerary for DL537 was to depart from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 13:00 and arrive at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) at 20:10 on the same day.
The diversion of the flight was unexpected but necessary, and it followed the schedule provided by Flightradar24:
DL537 took off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 13:24 and landed at Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) at 17:52. The flight resumed the next day, April 8th, departing from Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) at 12:11 and arriving at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) at 14:48.
NEW: A Delta flight from LAX to ATL was diverted to OKC when flight attendants became sick. Passengers say flight attendants had to put on oxygen masks.
— Zach Rael (@KOCOZach) April 7, 2023
Paramedics met passengers and crew at the terminal. Three people transported to hospital via ambulance for evaluation. pic.twitter.com/wuP61pWQ9N
Due to the unexplained illness of several crew members who were sent to a local hospital, the passengers on the flight were stranded and had to spend the night in an Oklahoma City hotel. Meanwhile, maintenance cleared the flight to depart again on Good Friday, April 7th.
While Delta has not provided additional information regarding the cause of the illness, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will investigate the incident.
