Passengers were left bleeding from their noses and ears after a cabin pressure issue forced a Delta Air Lines flight to divert.
Delta said Flight 1203 was diverted back to Salt Lake City in Utah on Sunday where at least 10 people required medical attention, according to US media reports.
One passenger, Jaci Purser, told local news outlet KSL-TV that it felt like somebody was stabbing her in the ear.
She said she felt her ear pop from the pressure in the cabin, then bubble.
“I grabbed my ear, and I pulled my hand back, and there was blood on it,” she told the station.
She was diagnosed with a ruptured eardrum.
Another passenger told the news outlet she looked over and saw her husband hunched over with his hands covering his ears – and said another man was suffering a nosebleed.
All passengers were reportedly treated and released.
In a statement, Delta said the Boeing 737-900 aircraft suffered pressurisation issues, but did not go into detail on what caused the problem.
The airline said: “We sincerely apologise to our customers for their experience on Flight 1203 on 15 September.
“The flight crew followed procedures to return to SLC where our teams on the ground supported our customers with their immediate needs.”