Smoke fills cockpit of Phila.-bound plane
A smoke-filled cockpit forced the emergency landing in Florida of a flight bound for Philadelphia from Puerto Rico last night.
A smoke-filled cockpit forced the emergency landing in Florida of a flight bound for Philadelphia from Puerto Rico last night.
After American Airlines Flight 1738 landed at Palm Beach International Airport and taxied to the gate, the pilot, the copilot, three flight attendants and two passengers were taken to a hospital for possible treatment, according to airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.
Another plane was brought up from Fort Lauderdale to take the the rest of the passengers on to Philadelphia, she said. That flight finally arrived in Philadelphia at 4:48 a.m., after leaving West Palm Beach at 2:38 a.m.
The original plane, a Boeing 757, had 139 passengers aboard, but one or more may have elected not to take the new flight, she said.
The original flight left San Juan at 5:40 p.m. and was scheduled to reach Philadelphia at 9:40 p.m. But a couple of hours after takeoff, the captain reported smoke in the cockpit and declared the need for an emergency landing, Fagan said. During the descent, a section of glass in front of the first officer cracked, then apparently shattered, spraying pieces into the cockpit, she said. An outer pane remained intact, however, so cabin pressure was maintained. The plane landed a couple of minutes before 9 p.m., and reached the gate about 10 minutes later. Contrary to some reports, "we never heard anyone complain of fire," Fagan said. Also, the captain did not attempt to crack the window to let the smoke out, Fagan said. "It's kind of impossible when you're at altitude," she said. As for possible compensation for inconvienced passengers, the airline usually contacts the fliers or their travel agents to make arrangements, she said. "Our consumer relations personnel have been notified and I'm sure they will reach out to the these passengers or their designees," she said. The damaged plane is still in West Palm Beach, and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
