Oregon-bound flight turns back to Salt Lake due to 'pressurization issue'

A flight heading to Portland from Salt Lake had to turn back after the flight experienced a "pressurization issue," Delta Airlines confirmed Sunday.

According to the flight log, the Boeing 737-900 aircraft took off from Salt Lake City International Airport around 8:00 a.m., only to have to turn back when the flight crew detected a problem with the cabin pressure. The plane landed back at Salt Lake City International Airport around 8:40 a.m.

Delta Airlines tells FOX 13 News this was due to the aircraft not being able to pressurize when it was about to go above 10,000 feet. They also say that oxygen masks did not deploy during the flight.

The 140 customers on board have since been moved to another aircraft, which left just after 10:15 a.m. on the original planned route.

Standard practice dictates that aircraft pressurize between 10,000 and 14,000 feet. When a plane is unable to pressurize, it can lead to a number of complications for both passengers and crew. The most notable issues are the decreasing availability of oxygen and the pressure of the atmosphere on the aircraft mid-flight.

When the human body experiences a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, which doctors call hypoxia, a person will experience fatigue, confusion, impaired cognition, and loss of consciousness. If left untreated, it can easily become fatal.

In order to maintain conditions suitable for passengers and crew, air pressure in commercial aircraft is maintained to the equivalent of being 8,000 feet in the air. This is to ensure that the pressure inside the cabin is never less than the atmospheric pressure placed upon the plane, which decreases as it ascends.