A United Airlines flight had to suddenly slow down while descending toward San Francisco International Airport last week to avoid hitting another plane. The maneuver injured two passengers.
United Flight 2428 on Thursday dropped its speed of descent after systems on the plane alerted the pilots they had to make a move to avoid hitting another plane, the Federal Aviation Administration noted in a report filed Monday.
Two of the passengers on board the Boeing 737 were hurt, with one seriously and the other with minor injuries.
The seatbelt sign was on at the time of the incident.
“United Flight 2428 was descending to SFO on Sept. 19 with the seatbelt sign on when it slowed its descent to account for another aircraft at a lower altitude. Two customers, including one who was out of their seat at the time, reported possible injuries and were transported to a hospital. We’re grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our employees and customers,” United Airlines said in a statement to USA Today.
LiveATC.net got audio of the pilots telling air traffic controllers that “someone might have broken an ankle and there’s passengers that got hurt,” according to CNN.
Flight 2428, which originated from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, landed without further incident at 1:13 p.m., according to tracking website FlightAware.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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