Airline employee injured after emergency slide deploys in plane

SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) - A Delta crew member was injured by an emergency slide Saturday after the flight made a diverted landing due to mechanical issues.

The plane, flying from New York's JFK International to Los Angeles International, was diverted to Salt Lake City for a mechanical problem, according to a Salt Lake Airport representative.

While flying to California, the captain reportedly announced to the 168 passengers on board that there was a problem with the backup system's temperature instrument, according to the New York Post and a passenger who spoke with Nexstar's KTVX.

The Post reported the flight landed without incident and the issue was fixed quickly.

After passengers were reboarded and the flight was about to take off, the emergency slide accidentally deployed inside the plane. That's when the crew member was injured, according to Delta representatives. The employee was hospitalized and has since been discharged.

A passenger recounted the incident to KTVX, saying they were just a few rows away from the incident.

A Delta representative said the passengers were then relocated to a secondary plane which landed at LAX later that evening.

“We apologize for the delay to their travel plans," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. "Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people.”