United F/A Leaves Plane On Emergency Slide

A United Airlines flight attendant deployed an emergency evacuation slide on a plane after it arrived in Houston and used it to exit the aircraft packed with passengers.

"It is our understanding that she deployed it intentionally," said a United Airlines spokesman, adding airline officials have been trying to establish why she deployed the slide.

In a video shown on Houston TV station KPRC, the flight attendant throws her bag out of a door and slides down the chute. She grabs the bag and walks away from the plane, which was stationary.

The flight, with 159 passengers and six crew members aboard, was from Sacramento to Houston's George Bush Airport. The plane, a Boeing 737-900, was briefly taken out of service for maintenance and then returned to its scheduled use.

The flight attendant, who was not identified by the airline, has been removed from flying duties.