3 people on SkyWest flight lose consciousness, forcing emergency landing - Cause?

Source

Three people aboard a SkyWest airlines flight on its way to Connecticut lost consciousness Wednesday causing the plane to be diverted, descend steeply and make an emergency landing in New York.

The flight was carrying 75 passengers as it departed from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. It had been bound for Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut before it made its landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport at 11: 40 a.m.

A SkyWest spokeswoman initially said that one passenger aboard Flight 5622, operating under United Express, lost consciousness and the pilots started their steep descent “out of an abundance of caution.”

However, SkyWest spokeswoman Marissa Snow said in a later statement that new information from medical personnel confirmed that “a total of three passengers reported a total loss of consciousness while on the flight.”

So initially one passed out then it is reported that three passed out. They state there was no pressurization issue and the oxygen masks did not drop.

What could have caused 3 people to pass out on a plane? Coincidence?

a reply to: Vasa Croe

just my opinion - but one medical emergency in patient zero - can lead to a cascade of others thinking thiey are ill too - to the point that they present real symptoms

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Poisoned probably

Maybe they were threat to the government

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I think this answer comes down to basic FEAR.

Fear-overload and the body was too stressed to keep it up and shut the body down, which in turn, caused FEAR level to increase in the other two...and their bodies had to hit the Red-Shut-Off-Button.

I don't think this needs too much thought. But it is important find. Thank you for sharing.

i don't know about the first but the 2nd and 3rd could have passed out due to the steep decent, im not sure on the specifics but im sure losing that much altitude in so little time could potentially make a person lose consciousness but im no expert just trying to use logic....

perhaps the first person was suffering from low blood pressure and as a result passed out, the pilots began a steep decent which caused the other passengers to lose consciousness..

that's the only logical explanation i can come up with and even then it's total guess work on my part, im not even sure a rapid decent could cause loss of consciousness although i believe it might in certain circumstances eg.. certain medical conditions, severe dehydration etc... anyway like i said im no expert just trying to put a possibility out there

originally posted by: Ph03n1x
i don't know about the first but the 2nd and 3rd could have passed out due to the steep decent, im not sure on the specifics but im sure losing that much altitude in so little time could potentially make a person lose consciousness but im no expert just trying to use logic....

perhaps the first person was suffering from low blood pressure and as a result passed out, the pilots began a steep decent which caused the other passengers to lose consciousness..

that's the only logical explanation i can come up with and even then it's total guess work on my part, im not even sure a rapid decent could cause loss of consciousness although i believe it might in certain circumstances eg.. certain medical conditions, severe dehydration etc... anyway like i said im no expert just trying to put a possibility out there

Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines here. Person 1 passes out, pilots go into steep descent, passengers 2 & 3 pass out during this phase.

Do they still serve those little bottles of booze on planes like they used to?

Were the three people related or did they have something in common?

Nurse describes experience on diverted flight

“By the time I saw her, she was pretty lethargic, her color looked awful. So I asked for some oxygen for her, once she had oxygen she was a lot better, responsive. Then all of a sudden the woman behind her passed out. That’s when I told the flight attendant we should do an emergency landing. Then everyone started feeling sick, I didn’t feel very well myself,” Cunningham said.

So if this nurse is correct, at least 2 people passed out and others, including herself, were feeling ill before the plane began to descend.

a reply to: lynn112

That's why they did the descent. They were concerned it was a pressurization problem.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Just clarifying that the rapid descent happened after the people passed out and wasn't actually the cause of the people passing out/getting sick. (it was discussed as a possible reason.)

My money is on a bleed air leak that won't be found. They rarely are.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines here. Person 1 passes out, pilots go into steep descent, passengers 2 & 3 pass out during this phase.

The article is rather confusing...I was also thinking it may have been the descent, but the wording of the story is contradictory:

Three people aboard a SkyWest airlines flight on its way to Connecticut lost consciousness Wednesday, causing the plane to be diverted, descend steeply and make an emergency landing in New York.

It makes no sense why they reported that three unconscious passengers caused the plane to divert, yet the spokesperson said initially that it was only one passenger, and then changed her statement. You'd think on a flight with only 75 passengers they'd be able to get the number correct before making a public statement. That's the kind of mistake that makes people suspicious of some variety of foul play. I wonder how close they were all sitting to one another on the plane.

originally posted by: lynn112
Nurse describes experience on diverted flight

“By the time I saw her, she was pretty lethargic, her color looked awful. So I asked for some oxygen for her, once she had oxygen she was a lot better, responsive. Then all of a sudden the woman behind her passed out. That’s when I told the flight attendant we should do an emergency landing. Then everyone started feeling sick, I didn’t feel very well myself,” Cunningham said.

So if this nurse is correct, at least 2 people passed out and others, including herself, were feeling ill before the plane began to descend.

I wonder if Toxic Air could be the cause? Apparently there's a rise in Toxic Air in planes and pilots landing planes due to the toxic air in the planes. Some pilots are even worried over their health because of this.

Rise of Toxic Air in Planes

How safe is Airplane Air?

Aerotoxic Syndrome

a reply to: tigertatzen

They also reported a door opened initially. It's Early Report Syndrome.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
Source

Three people aboard a SkyWest airlines flight on its way to Connecticut lost consciousness Wednesday causing the plane to be diverted, descend steeply and make an emergency landing in New York.

The flight was carrying 75 passengers as it departed from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. It had been bound for Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut before it made its landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport at 11: 40 a.m.

A SkyWest spokeswoman initially said that one passenger aboard Flight 5622, operating under United Express, lost consciousness and the pilots started their steep descent “out of an abundance of caution.”

However, SkyWest spokeswoman Marissa Snow said in a later statement that new information from medical personnel confirmed that “a total of three passengers reported a total loss of consciousness while on the flight.”

So initially one passed out then it is reported that three passed out. They state there was no pressurization issue and the oxygen masks did not drop.

What could have caused 3 people to pass out on a plane? Coincidence?

my guess

one passed out for whatever reason, the other two from "rapid decent"

no story here, unless the first one to pass out has ebola...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Ahhh...ok, I see. Premature Promulgation.