American Airlines flight 357, traveling from Philadelphia to Phoenix, was forced to make an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on 23/8 after a passenger's "personal electronic device" began smoking.
Flight attendants noticed the smoke, used onboard fire extinguishers to contain it, and alerted the captain to divert to Dulles.
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Firefighters inspect the scene of the fire on the American Airlines plane that made an emergency landing at Washington Dulles on 23/8. Photo: ABC |
Firefighters inspect the scene of the fire on the American Airlines plane that made an emergency landing at Washington Dulles on 23/8. Photo: ABC
American Airlines confirmed that the burning device was quickly contained by the crew before the plane landed safely at 11:50.
The airline did not specify the type of device involved. However, passenger Xander Russel said it was a battery fire in a carry-on bag. "Smoke filled the cabin for about 20 minutes before passengers and flight attendants put it out. Then we had to make an emergency landing," Russel explained.
Passenger Adriana Novello, 22, told ABC she was awakened by a flight attendant climbing on a seat near the emergency exit to retrieve a fire extinguisher. "I started smelling smoke and people were coughing. Looking back, we saw something was on fire right in the aisle," Novello recounted.
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An American Airlines plane sits on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York in January 2023. Photo: AP |
An American Airlines plane sits on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York in January 2023. Photo: AP
Firefighters and emergency personnel were on the runway when the plane landed. No passengers or crew members were injured. All passengers disembarked safely and no arrests were made.
"We appreciate the professionalism of our crew and are working to get our customers to their final destinations as quickly as possible," an airline representative said.
Thanh Danh (According to Fox, ABC, Express)
