United flight diverted to Wichita after slide deploys in air

CHICAGO (WLS) -- United Airlines Flight 1453 from Chicago to Orange County, Calif., had to be diverted to Wichita, Kan., after an emergency slide accidentally inflated at 40,000 feet.

Investigators are working to determine why the evacuation slide, which is meant to inflate outside the Boeing 737 in the event of an emergency, filled the galley during the flight.

"Everything was going fine. We hit some thunderstorms," passenger Tony Talerico said. "All of a sudden we heard some pops in back. The slide deployed."

Passengers kept their cool after flight attendants ran to the back of the plane, and snapped photos of the inflated evacuation slide. But some passengers said it was the "scariest flight ever."

"Thought at first that maybe the doors at the back had opened, then immediately felt the plane going down," passenger Barbara Post said. "But very much a controlled descent."

This exchange took place between the control tower and the pilot:

ATC:

Pilot:

"The pilot made an announcement that we were landing in Wichita," passenger Michael Davis said. "He said don't worry about emergency trucks. We landed. They put on a little foam. Some people in Hazmat suits came in."

Emergency crews responded to Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita after the plane landed safely around 10:30 p.m. United Airlines said there were 96 passengers and five crew members on board. No one was injured.

"We are flying in another aircraft to resume the flight and get our customers to their final destination as quickly as possible," United Airlines said in a statement released overnight.

Passengers were offered hotel rooms in Wichita for the night.

The plane was inspected at the Wichita airport later on Monday morning.