SALT LAKE CITY — A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Seattle made an unexpected diversion to Salt Lake City on Thursday afternoon after the flight crew declared an emergency while in mid-flight.
Delta Flight DL903, operated by a Boeing 757-300 (registration N592NW), departed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 9:40 a.m. EDT on August 27 for what was scheduled to be a five-hour cross-country flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Approximately three hours into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 34,000 feet, the flight crew declared an emergency. Air traffic control routed the aircraft to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), where the Boeing 757 initiated a rapid descent to make a safe landing on Runway 34R.
Delta Air Lines confirmed the incident and the diversion shortly after the aircraft landed.
The issue was quickly addressed on the ground, allowing the aircraft to resume its journey to Seattle just one hour after arriving in Salt Lake City. Delta has not yet publicly detailed the exact nature of the emergency that prompted the descent and brief detour.
