A Southwest Airlines flight from Seattle to Dallas was forced to turn around after a human heart was discovered on board. The pilot informed passengers that the heart was left on the plane and was supposed to be delivered to a hospital in Seattle.
Southwest spokesman Dan Landson told the Seattle Times that the heart was being transported by a private company that specializes in sending "life-critical" organs across the country. He said that it was “absolutely necessary to deliver the shipment to its destination in the Seattle area as quickly as possible.”
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and the safe delivery of the precious cargo we transport every day,” Landson said.
The newspaper also reported that no Seattle-area hospitals said they were waiting to receive the heart.
When the plane landed, passengers had to get off due to a mechanical issue. Southwest arranged for another plane and after a five-hour delay, they finally departed for Dallas.
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