A major system failure resulted in a Korean Air flight suddenly dropping 8168m (26,900ft) in just 15 minutes, injuring 17 passengers.

On Saturday, Korean Air Flight KE189 departed from the Seoul Incheon International Airport to fly directly to Taichung, Taiwan.

But 50 minutes after takeoff a pressurised system fault drove the aircraft, a Boeing 737 Max 8, to plummet, the Independent reports.

According to data from the online flight tracker Flightradar24, the aircraft descended from a calibrated altitude of 10,767m to 2,567m in a quarter of an hour.

The aircraft carrying 125 passengers could then be seen circling several times before diverting back to Seoul. It was just after 7.30pm local time when the flight landed back in the South Korean capital.

One passenger, a woman identified as Hsu by the Taipei Times, said that when the flight attendants remained in their seats after the plane started to wobble, she knew something was wrong.

Her children were crying as oxygen masks deployed when the plane dramatically dropped. Hsu also experienced an earache and a headache.

Another passenger, identified as Tseng by the outlet, said that he was scared the airplane might hit the ground.

Some passengers also experienced nosebleeds and hyperventilation, according to the New York Post.

Seventeen passengers were hospitalised as a result of the terrifying ordeal - though no major injuries were reported.

In a statement sighted by the Independent, Korean Air said: “17 passengers have been attended to by medical professionals in [South] Korea, and have been discharged without severe injuries”.

The passengers departed Seoul again on June 23 and safely landed in Taiwan.

It’s not the first time Boeing has been in hot water over problems with its aircraft.

Earlier this year, an Alaska Airline-operated Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner was forced to land after the plane experienced a blowout that left a gaping hole on its side.

This comes as families seek $40 billion from Boeing after two deadly crashes that killed almost 350 passengers. The aircraft involved in the serious incidents was the same as the one in the Korean Air chaos - a Boeing 737 Max 8.

The first deadly crash happened on October 29, 2018 when a plane departed from Jakarta, Indonesia, and the second occurred on March 10, 2019 when a flight took off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The United States Department of Justice is considering whether to revive the criminal charge of fraud against the aerospace corporation, which it had set aside three years ago. It has until July 7 to make a decision.