Passengers evacuate American Airlines regional jet after burning odor and smoke reported in cabin
American Flight 5406, operated by PSA Airlines landed in Augusta after a 36-minute flight from Charlotte, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
'The cabin was filled with smoke, and we climbed out on the wing,' passenger Sean O'Conor narrated as he recorded video of the evacuation. 'It looks like everybody is safe.'
The CRJ-900 aircraft experienced 'a maintenance issue after landing safely in Augusta,' the airline told CNN. 'All passengers deplaned and were escorted to the airport terminal. The safety of our customers is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience.'
The return flight to Charlotte on the plane was canceled, but that aircraft was back in service Wednesday, according to FlightAware.
On Wednesday, a different plane flying the same route from Charlotte to Augusta also experienced a mechanical issue, American Airlines told CNN. That aircraft, a CRJ-700, circled and returned to Charlotte after about 20 minutes in the air, according to FlightAware. Three hours later, it took off again and made it safely to Augusta.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
12 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Southwest flight dives to avoid collision, injures 2 crew members
A Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank to Las Vegas made a sudden and dramatic descent shortly after takeoff Friday, injuring two flight attendants and sparking panic among passengers, according to federal officials and news reports. Flight 1496 departed Hollywood Burbank Airport around 11 a.m. when it abruptly dropped nearly 500 feet in response to an onboard alert warning of a potential collision, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Southwest Airlines confirmed that the Boeing 737 crew responded to 'two onboard traffic alerts,' prompting both a climb and an immediate descent. The FAA is now investigating the incident, which involved a nearby British-made Hawker Hunter f. According to flight tracking data from FlightAware and flightRadar24, the Southwest jet descended from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet in just over 30 seconds. Passengers described scenes of fear and confusion. 'We really thought we were plummeting to a plane crash,' Caitlin Burdi told Fox News Digital. 'I saw a woman who wasn't wearing her seat belt shoot up and out of her seat, her long hair flying in a tangled mess,' said Stef Zamorano, who spoke to the Associated Press. 'She was pretty much verbalizing how we all felt, saying, 'I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground.'' Southwest said it is cooperating with the FAA 'to further understand the circumstances.'

16 hours ago
Southwest Airlines flight headed to Las Vegas takes dramatic plunge in response to nearby aircraft
LAS VEGAS -- A Southwest Airline jet heading to Las Vegas from Southern California took a dramatic plunge shortly after takeoff Friday in response to an alert about a nearby plane, injuring two flight attendants, authorities and passengers said. Southwest flight 1496 was responding to an onboard alert about another aircraft in its vicinity, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA is investigating. The crew responded to two air alerts that required the pilot to climb then descend, Southwest said in a statement. The flight departed from Hollywood Burbank Airport just before noon. Passengers posted on social media that the plane took a dramatic drop soon after takeoff. Data from the flight tracking site FlightAware shows it dropped roughly 300 feet (91.44 meters) in 36 seconds. 'Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us,' comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X. The plane was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58 just after noon local time, FlightAware shows. A Hawker Hunter is a British fighter plane. Records show its owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd, a British defense contracting company. The company didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman for Hollywood Burbank, said that neither the control tower or the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace. Southwest said the flight continued to Las Vegas, 'where it landed uneventfully.' The airline said that it is working with the FAA 'to further understand the circumstances' of the event.


Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Southwest Airlines flight headed to Las Vegas takes dramatic plunge in response to nearby aircraft
Passengers posted on social media that the plane took a dramatic drop soon after takeoff. Data from the flight tracking site FlightAware shows it dropped roughly 300 feet (91.44 meters) in 36 seconds. 'Pilot said his collision warning went off & he needed to avoid plane coming at us,' comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X. Advertisement The plane was in the same airspace near Burbank as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58 just after noon local time, FlightAware shows. A Hawker Hunter is a British fighter plane. Records show its owned by Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd, a British defense contracting company. The company didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman for Hollywood Burbank, said that neither the control tower or the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace. Southwest said the flight continued to Las Vegas, 'where it landed uneventfully.' The airline said that it is working with the FAA 'to further understand the circumstances' of the event. Advertisement This close call is just the latest incident to raise questions about aviation safety in the wake of January's midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.