Another packed Boeing passenger plane has taken a terrifying 25,000-foot plunge after suffering a malfunction mid-flight.
Thirteen passengers onboard a Korea Airlines flight to Taiwan have been taken to hospital following the incident.
The Boeing aircraft plummeted more than 25,000 feet following a fault in the cabin pressurization system.
Korean Airlines Flight KE189 was forced to make an emergency landing in Incheon, South Korea on Saturday following the incident.
This is only the latest of a string of reported defects in Boeing aircraft.
The embattled company has been facing increasing criticism over its planes and safety protocols since January.
Multiple whistleblowers have come forward to accuse the company of failing to meet safety standards and cutting corners during the manufacture of the jets.
Two of those whistleblowers have recently died in suspicious circumstances after exposing the safety flaws.
The Korea Airlines flight departed from Incheon International Airport near the country’s capital of Seoul on Saturday at 16:45 local time.
It was set to arrive at Taichung International Airport in Taiwan around two hours later.
However, 50 minutes following its departure, pilots became aware of a fault in the aircraft’s cabin pressurization system.
The plane subsequently plunged from an altitude of 35,000 feet to under 10,000 feet within just ten minutes, according to airplane tracking website flightradar24.
The aircraft was a Boeing 737 Max 8, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
Passengers were forced to put on oxygen masks which dropped from the ceiling, and children onboard cried as the plane began its rapid descent, the Taipei Times reported.
The Boeing 737 subsequently diverted back to Incheon Airport, where passengers waited until Sunday morning for a replacement flight, which arrived in Taiwan just after midday.
The incident injured dozens of passengers, with 13 people being hospitalized.
The rapid change in cabin pressure caused multiple passengers to suffer from headaches, hyperventilation, eardrum pain, and nosebleeds, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.
The outlet cited officials within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation.
This is only the latest in a series of reported malfunctions on Boeing aircraft.
Boeing has been under increased scrutiny over the safety of its aircraft since a panel fell off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 plane mid-flight in January.
The incident caused Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and chairman Larry Kellner to announce their exit from the company by the end of 2024.
In March, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 was forced to ground and make an emergency landing after a tire fell off the plane.
The packed jet was forced to do a “belly landing” on the runway without the full landing gear.
Additionally, 50 individuals were reportedly injured after extreme turbulence was experienced onboard a 787-9 Dreamliner traveling from Sydney to Auckland.
In early June, another Boeing plane was forced to make an emergency landing, after flames were seen coming from one of its engines.
The Virgin Airlines Boeing 737 was flying from Queenstown, New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia, but was rerouted to Invercargill Airport following the incident.
Since January, several past and current employees have alleged that Boeing cut corners in the construction of its aircraft while ignoring warnings regarding their safety.
Two such whistleblowers – Joshua Dean and John Barnett – died unexpectedly after coming forward.
CEO Calhoun testified before a senate hearing last week, where he was interrogated regarding his company’s safety standards, transparency, and workplace culture.
READ MORE – Packed Boeing Passenger Jet Malfunctions Mid-Flight, Suffers Terrifying ‘Dutch Roll’