Flight attendant's costly error leads to grounding of Delta flight, long passenger delays

Passengers on a flight departing Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) were left waiting on the tarmac after a flight attendant accidentally deployed the aircraft’s emergency slide.

According to a Reddit post from a user who identified as being on board, the costly mishap happened just before takeoff.

"The flight attendant accidentally triggered the emergency slide," the person wrote. "Everyone’s entire night just became a cluster f***."

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The user described a confusing scene followed by a long delay. The attendant, visibly shaken, quickly addressed passengers.

"He did apologize and was quite flustered," the post continued, adding that the crew member mentioned that in his 26-year career, it had never happened before.

Emergency slides are very costly in the airline industry, so mistakenly deploying them can be an expensive error. (iStock)

When another Redditor asked whether passengers at least got to use the slide to deplane, the original poster joked: "Haha. That would be fun. They specifically said that would be a bigger trouble."

Instead, it took maintenance crews about an hour to unhook and remove the deployed slide. Only then did airport staff bring the jet bridge back so that travelers could exit the plane safely.

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The original poster said the incident happened while the other flight attendant was announcing that the plane was leaving the gate, and guessed that it happened while the flight attendant was closing the plane doors.

"The jet bridge just left. I guess he meant to secure the door, but instead opened it?"

Flight attendants often communicate with ground control to make sure everything is set for lift off. (iStock)

The conversation later suggested that the affected flight may have been Delta 3248 to Salt Lake City (SLC), which experienced a significant delay that evening.

In this case, no passengers were hurt, just stranded for an unexpected hour. As one commenter summed it up, the night may have turned into a "cluster f***," but hopefully, at least, everyone could laugh about it later.

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Evacuation slides are intended for use only in emergencies, such as when a rapid evacuation is required, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

During normal operations, flight attendants are required to "disarm" the slides before any aircraft door is opened on the ground.

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Accidentally deploying one is considered a serious mistake, as each slide can cost tens of thousands of dollars to repack and replace, and often renders the aircraft temporarily inoperable.

The procedure for disarming these systems can differ depending on the aircraft model, according to experts. 

Emergency slides are designed to deploy instantly in the event of an evacuation and are armed manually once the aircraft door is closed. (iStock)

On some planes, the cabin crew performs the disarming process from inside, while in other cases, it may involve coordination with ground staff who operate from the exterior.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that emergency slide deployments cost airlines around $20 million per year.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Delta for comment.