Medics called as plane with failing air conditioner spends hour on ground in Palm Springs

Paramedics treated two people at Palm Springs International Airport last week after a Southwest Airlines plane with a malfunctioning air conditioner had spent an hour on the tarmac waiting to take off, according to the airline and the city fire department.

A video clip posted to social media by someone who said they took it on the plane showed several passengers attending to a woman who appeared to have passed out and was lying in the aisle of the plane. At one point, the woman’s body appears to shake. TV news station KESQ first reported on the incident and video.

During the clip, an unidentified man says, “They won’t let us off the plane. We are stuck in the plane right now and this poor girl is passed out.”

Southwest Airlines provided a statement to The Desert Sun confirming that the July 26 flight had pushed back from the gate but been stopped from taking off by air traffic control because of thunderstorms in Denver, its destination.

The airline says "initial reports" indicate that the plane then experienced an issue with its auxiliary power unit, which helps cool the cabin when it's on the ground. The plane returned to the gate approximately one hour after it had pushed back from the gate, Southwest said.

Customers then deplaned and were rebooked onto new flights while the plane was taken out of service “for review.”

“We apologize to our customers and crew for the inconvenience, and we sincerely appreciate their patience and support during this unusual event,” the airline said in the statement about the incident.

Neither of the people evaluated by the paramedics were taken to a hospital, Palm Springs Fire Department Capt. Nathan Gunkel said. Instead, both signed "against medical advice" forms stating that they did not want to be transported or receive further care.

Gunkel added that by time medics arrived just after 6 p.m., all of the passengers were off the plane and in the terminal of the airport.

At that time, the temperature at the airport was 115 degrees, according to National Weather Service records. An hour earlier, it had been 117 degrees.Greg Capric Galloway recounted his experience on the delayed flight in a Facebook post. He wrote that he had been on the plane for three hours by the time it returned to the gate.

“Finally got a cup of water well after two hours,” he wrote. “Finally back to gate and having to carry people off after hours at 90-plus heat!”

A second person, Randall Alessi, posted on Twitter saying he had been on the plane for two hours and been told “there’s no way to take off now and no gate to go back to at PSP."

The U.S. Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment from The Desert Sun about the incident and whether the airline had broken any rules.

The department’s website states that airlines must allow those on planes to get off if a delay lasts more than three hours and must provide water and a snack if a delay lasts longer than two hours.

The incident came just over a week after Delta Air Lines flight sat on a tarmac for about three hours in Las Vegas amid extreme heat that reportedly caused multiple passengers to faint. The Department of Transportation has said it is investigating that situation.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and via email at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Plane with broken air conditioner sat on tarmac in Palm Springs