TERRIFIED Delta Air Lines passengers were forced to evacuate a plane after smoke filled the cabin at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The Boeing 717-200 was going to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina when the horror incident unfolded.
11AliveSmoke filled the cabin with terrified passengers onboard[/caption]
The Boeing 717-200 was going to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina11Alive
One passenger is captured covering their nose in the horror ordeal11Alive
The flight landed at around 9am with all 94 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants forced to flee the aircraft using the emergency exit slides.
Unbelievable images show passengers stood on the left wing of the aircraft, clutching their belongings, as they desperately fled the aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration said: “Delta Air Lines Flight 876 returned safely to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 9 a.m. local time on Monday, February 24, after the crew reported possible smoke in the flightdeck.”
Crew members reported the smoke shortly after takeoff, with an emergency declared to get priority handling from air traffic control.
A Delta spokesperson told The Sun: “The flight crew followed procedures to return to Atlanta when a haze inside the aircraft was observed after departure.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience.”
Passengers had to use their clothes to cover their faces as the terrifying haze filled the cabin, footage shows.
The airline added that teams brought customers to the terminal via ground transportation and they are working to get the passengers rebooked on other flights.
An air spokesperson told ABC the incident had a “moderate impact to operations”.
Just over a week ago, a Delta plane from Minneapolis crashed and flipped before erupting into flames at Toronto Pearson Airport.
Panicked passengers onboard the plane were forced to crawl along the ceiling to flee after the jet slammed into the icy runway in the terrifying near-disaster.
No one was killed in the aviation incident to hit North America.
Smoke surrounded the jet in the aftermath of the terrifying scene.
A passenger named John Nelson shared a video from the scary scene on Facebook on Monday.
“We just landed,” he said in a video showing the aircraft upside down.
“Our plane crashed, it’s upside down. The fire department is on site.
“Most people appear to be okay. We’re all getting off, [there’s] some smoke going on.”
Fellow passenger Peter Koukov told CNN that they were “upside down hanging like bats” in the horror crash.
The fire department was shown spraying fire retardant on the plane.
“Several customers with injuries were transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted,” Delta said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.
The airline confirmed the Toronto airport, YYZ, was closed “shortly after the incident occurred.”
“Delta is working to connect with customers traveling from, to or through YYZ who should also monitor the status of their flight via the Fly Delta app.”
Crew members reported the smoke shortly after takeoff11Alive Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
