MSN
Rachael Douglas was waiting for her Northwest flight from Memphis, Tenn., to Alexandria, La., to depart this past Sunday when she noticed the flight crew having difficulty shutting the cabin door.
From her seat, 1A, she had a good view of the crew and outside maintenance employees struggling to shut the door, which took an hour before it appeared to close properly.
About 30 minutes into the flight, she recalls, people started getting light headed and suddenly the plane took a nosedive. “We were terrified, holding hands,†she explains.
When the plane leveled off, the pilot came on the loud speaker and told passengers not to panic, that the plane had just lost pressure and he was turning the plane around back to Memphis.
When Douglas finally got home she called and e-mailed Northwest Airlines and also e-mailed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but still hasn’t received a reply about the harrowing event.
Officials at Northwest contacted by msnbc.com didn't immediately comment, though FAA spokesman Les Dorr acknowledged a cabin-pressure issue on the flight, but said “no emergency was declared.â€
As for door problems and a nosedive, Dorr said: “We found out the flight crew wrote up the issues. It appears there was a problem with the door but it doesn’t say what it was.†He said the airline removed and replaced the pressurization pressure selector, adding “what that actually means I really don't know.â€
“Someone needs to know about this,†says Douglas. “These planes shouldn’t be flying like that, should they?â€
Memphis wins?
