An inflatable evacuation slide suddenly 'exploded' inside the flight cabin of a Delta plane injuring a crew member, report says

• The inflatable air slide on a Delta flight from JFK to LAX was deployed inside the plane on Saturday.
• The plane had made an unexpected landing in Utah to fix a technical problem, the New York Post reports.

The escape slide on a Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles was suddenly inflated inside the plane on Saturday after it made an unexpected landing in Salt Lake City, Utah, due to technical issues.

The uncontrolled escape slide hit a crew member, and they were hospitalized.

A Delta spokesperson told Insider the crew member has now been discharged from hospital.

An evacuation slide is an inflatable slide used to quickly get passengers off an aircraft in an emergency. An escape slide is required on all passenger-carrying aircraft where the door sill height is over six feet high, and in the event of an evacuation, passengers would be unable to step down from the door uninjured.

The New York Post reports the plane initially landed, and the 168 passengers deplaned — and then reboarded — without a problem. However, the emergency-exit slide was then accidentally deployed inside the aircraft while it was still at the gate.

One passenger told the New York Post that the slide "exploded" inside the aircraft, and another said it hit a crew member in the head "like an airbag."

Passengers had to get off the plane again and were rescheduled on a later flight to LAX.

A Delta spokesperson told Insider, "Delta flight 520, operating from New York-JFK to Los Angeles, diverted to Salt Lake City due to a maintenance issue.

"While on the ground, the same aircraft's slide was deployed by accident," Delta said.

In an effort to get our customers to their final destination as quickly and safely as possible, they were re-accommodated on a new aircraft. We apologize for the delay to their travel plans. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people."