A Korean Air flight heading to Taiwan over the weekend was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing due to mechanical problems.
According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight KE189 took off from Incheon International Airport at 4:45 p.m. local time, but a problem was discovered in the pressurization system 50 minutes into the flight.
The pressurization system is responsible for regulating the internal pressure of the plane.
According to FlightRadar24, about 40 minutes after takeoff, the plane went into a steep descent, plummeting more than 22,000 feet in seven minutes, then descending another 4,500 feet in about six minutes before stabilizing, amounting to a descent of more than 26,000 feet in about 15 minutes.
South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said 15 of the 125 passengers on board reported eardrum pain and hyperventilation during the flight, 13 of whom were hospitalized, according to Yonhap News Agency.
One of the pilots captured the descent on disturbing video.
Footage shows passengers wearing oxygen masks inside the shaking plane's cabin.
Fortunately, passengers on the malfunctioning plane arrived safely at Taichung International Airport on another flight on Sunday, the Taipei Times reported.
A Korean Air spokesperson told Business Insider that 17 passengers were released from hospital without serious injuries after being examined at medical facilities.
It added that the plane is just under five years old and was delivered to Korean Air on July 22.
This is not the only recent travel horror story involving Boeing aircraft.
The commercial aircraft maker made headlines in May when a Singapore Airlines plane encountered severe turbulence and plummeted to an altitude of about 7,000 feet. One passenger died of a suspected heart attack.
And of course, there was the Alaska Airlines incident in January when a panel on a Boeing 737-9 plane ruptured mid-flight.
