Delta flight attendant pops emergency slide before takeoff in $100,000 accident

Frustrated passengers were delayed for hours after a Delta Airlines flight attendant accidentally activated an emergency exit slide – a mishap that may have cost up to $100,000.

The incident occurred Saturday on Delta flight 3248 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Salt Lake City, Utah.

“While the aircraft door was being opened, crew inadvertently deployed an emergency slide at the arrival gate in PIT,” a spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Independent.

“As a result, customers on the return flight from PIT to SLC were rebooked on other Delta flights to their destination later that evening or the following morning. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel plans.”

The experience was described as a “cluster f***” by one passenger, who recalled the experience on Reddit. The flight attendant, who cited over 26 years of experience flying, was “quite flustered” and had apologized for the mistake, they said.

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In a follow-up post the passenger described hearing a small “boom” and seeing the slide deploy.

The slide was deployed against the jet-bridge causing passengers to be trapped onboard until the slide could be detached by maintenance workers, according to The New York Post.

According to data from Flightradar24, the incident caused the flight to be delayed by almost four hours, departing from Pennsylvania at 9.21 p.m. instead of 5.30 p.m as scheduled.

Accidental deployment of emergency slides can occur when the door handle is raised while arming doors for departure, due to the triggering of an emergency power assist response.

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Repacking an evacuation slide for the Airbus A220 models clocking in at between $50,000 to $100,000, multiple sources told The New York Post.

Industry analysts also told the outlet that the total figure could be closer to six figures when maintenance inspections, passenger compensation and relocation costs are added.

The Independent has contacted Delta Airlines for more information about the incident.