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Passengers Hold Up Ceiling Panel After It Collapses Mid-Flight on Delta Plane
Passengers aboard Delta Flight 2417 were forced to hold up a ceiling panel after it came loose during their journey from Atlanta to Chicago on April 14, 2025.
Tom Witschy, 35, of Chicago, was seated in 19B when the incident unfolded. Speaking to PEOPLE, he recalled hearing a strange noise shortly after takeoff. "We thought it was a bag hitting the overhead bin," Witschy said. Moments later, a loud crash shook the cabin as a roof panel dislodged, narrowly missing an older woman seated just ahead of him in 18B.
The panel dangled precariously, attached only by its front right corner.
As the plane continued to ascend, Witschy and two nearby passengers instinctively grabbed hold of the panel to prevent it from swinging into the rows of seated travelers. "We held it for about 10 to 15 minutes until the flight attendants could get up from their seats and assess the situation," Witschy said, noting that crew members were required to remain seated during takeoff.
Once able to move about, the flight attendants alerted the pilots and searched for materials to secure the panel. The three men continued supporting the ceiling for another half-hour while the crew scrambled for a solution.
A fellow passenger — an engineer — eventually stood on an armrest to inspect the damage. He discovered that a missing screw or bolt had caused the panel to come loose. Flight attendants were eventually handed a roll of bright yellow tape by a passenger, which they used to temporarily secure the ceiling.
All told, Witschy estimates passengers held the panel in place for 30 to 45 minutes before the tape was applied.
Despite the ordeal, Witschy said the crew remained kind and offered free drinks as a gesture of thanks, though most passengers declined, noting it was only 10 a.m. Although they were closer to Chicago, the flight ultimately returned to Atlanta.
“What should have been a quick one-hour flight turned into an all-day ordeal,” Witschy said. Passengers seated near the collapsed panel were each offered 10,000 SkyMiles for their trouble, but Witschy said he also filed for a refund, as the disruption cost him a day of work.
"People were just shocked — both that it happened at all and that we were the ones holding it up for so long," he added.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a Delta spokesperson apologized for the disruption, thanking customers for their patience. The airline confirmed the aircraft, a Boeing 717, returned to Atlanta for "cabin maintenance" and that the journey resumed about two hours later on a different plane. No injuries were reported.
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