Human heart left onboard Southwest flight prompts in-air turnaround

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A Southwest Airlines flight traveling from Seattle to Dallas was forced to turn around in midflight Sunday after officials realized a human heart had been left on board, a report said.

Passengers were shocked when the captain explained that the heart was intended for delivery to a Seattle hospital after a previous flight from Sacramento, the Seattle Times reported. A Southwest spokesman said it was “absolutely necessary” to get the cargo back “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,” spokesman Dan Landson told the paper.

Concerned passengers used their cell phones to learn that a human heart had only hours to remain viable for a transplant, the paper said.

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