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11/02/2024 11:35:11 am

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Smoke On American Airlines Flight Forces Passengers To Use Emergency Slides Upon Landing

Passengers onboard an American Airlines flight were forced to deplane through emergency slides after smoke was detected inside the aircraft on Wednesday.

At least three people were reportedly injured but no details were available as to the cause of the injury. 

American Airlines flight 445 from Charlotte, North Carolina was taxiing to the gate after landing in Denver when a passenger noticed a smell like that of an emergency brake.  Soon after, a light haze filled the cabin. 

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"That's when they said 'Everybody get out, get out, get out. Don't take your stuff,' " passenger Andy Long said.

Airport spokeswoman Mindy Crane confirmed smoke was reported inside the aircraft around noon, but there was no sign of a fire.

The captain immediately ordered the activation of the plane's emergency chutes, where 158 passengers and six crew members slid down before getting on a shuttle bus that carried them to the terminal.

"There was smoke coming out of the wall," said Captain Greg Pixley, spokesman for the Denver Fire Department. "What caused it was contained to that one area. They are still investigating the cause." 

One passenger Mike Tsang said smoke was visible as soon as the plane landed.  But other passengers became worried when the smoke got thicker.

 "We came to a complete stop on the runway," he said. "The captain came on and said, 'This is your captain, evacuate.' 

Passengers described the evacuation as calm and orderly. But Lindsay Geisler said passengers had to wait for almost half an hour before the buses arrived.

Still, she was thankful that everyone was safe and that there were no major damage brought by the incident.

"It's been great to see how people rally together and help out one another when you get put into a situation like this," Geisler said.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident as American Airlines vowed full cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

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