Overview

• SkyWest Flight 5971 operating for United Express was en route from Aspen to Houston when it diverted to Austin after a violent midair upset.
• Flight-tracking data show a rapid loss of roughly 4,000 feet in under a minute followed by a further descent of more than 25,000 feet within six minutes.
• Austin-Travis County EMS evaluated 39 passengers and four crew after landing, and two adults were taken to hospitals with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
• Air-traffic-control audio captured the crew requesting a stretcher and reporting bleeding, while passenger video showed deployed oxygen masks and belongings strewn across the cabin.
• The FAA reported a pressurization issue along with severe turbulence, recorded the highest injury as serious, and opened a probe as SkyWest pledged assistance to customers.