United Express Flight 5919 was traveling from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport when the plane experienced a sudden drop in altitude of about 10,000 feet, said Jeff Dutton, communications manager at the Indianapolis Airport Authority.

ExpressJet spokesman Jarek Beem said the crew brought the aircraft down to a lower altitude because of a pressurization issue. There were 50 passengers, two pilots and one flight attendant on board.

Passengers on the flight began complaining of headaches and ear problems so the plane landed at Indianapolis International Airport about 7:30 a.m., Dutton said.

The passengers were checked out by medics at the airport, but no one was hospitalized.

The airline will bus the passengers to Chicago because it will be faster than waiting for another plane, Beem said.

FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the flight was aboard an Embraer E145. He says the FAA will follow up with the airport to determine the cause of the pressurization problem.

Bottom Line

Fortunately, there were no major injuries of the 50 passengers, two pilots and one flight attendant who were onboard. This is the 2nd emergency landing we covered this week, as a Delta A320 Makes Emergency Landing After Hail Cracks Windshield.