CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. --- SkyWest Flight 5622 passenger Steve Marcil called the flight Wednesday morning from Chicago to Connecticut nothing short of scary.
"We were on a flight from Chicago to Hartford and we had a few people who were passing out, we lost cabin pressure, and that then the plane was being diverted for an emergency landing," Marcil said.
Time Warner Cable News reporter Katie Gibas was boarding another flight and took exclusive video of the response to Flight 5622's unscheduled landing at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. She also spoke to passengers about the mid-air scare.
"You could feel the rapidness of the drop of the airplane coming down, some rattling, shaking, like a steep rollercoaster coming down very, very quickly," explained Marcil.
According to SkyWest's website, the regional airline carrier dropped 28,000 feet in just three minutes.
"It was scary, especially losing cabin pressure,” said Marcil. “Some people, two or three people were unconscious."
The airline offered a different explanation for the landing. SkyWest issued a statement, saying Flight 5622 landed just after 11:30 a.m. after a single passenger lost consciousness. The passenger was treated and released upon arrival in Buffalo. The statement went on to say that despite reports to the contrary, there were no mechanical issues with the plane.
"No, they checked out several dozens of people,” said Marcil. “A lot of people had dizziness and, you know, many different symptoms, shortness of breath."
The FAA stated it is investigating the incident while SkyWest said the plane is undergoing inspection for mechanical issues.
The flight's 75 passengers were offered a different flight to finish their trip to Hartford - a trip Marcil and others say they won't soon forget.