Passengers on flights to Denver and New York got more than what they bargained for this week. On Wednesday, passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 445 from Charlotte were forced to exit the plane using emergency chutes after smoke filled the passenger cabin.
Andy Aldridge, a passenger from North Carolina said light smoke began to fill the cabin during approach to Denver. Once the plane was on the ground the flight captain told passengers very directly to ‘disembark’ from the aircraft. Then the emergency doors opened and one by one, passengers evacuated the plane. Emergency personnel told passengers to ‘leave their bags’ as they were hurried off the aircraft.
According to CBS Denver, only one passenger was injured after slipping on the icy runway. No sign of fire was found in the aftermath of the incident, nor do officials know what the source of the smoke was. American Airlines and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be conducting an investigation.
The day after the American incident in Denver, a Delta flight landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York slid off a runway and hit a border fence. The runway accident happened at around 11:10 a.m. in the middle of a serious snowstorm. Delta Flight 1086 departed from Atlanta earlier that morning with 127 passengers and five crew members.
Officials said there did not appear to be any serious injuries, though at least two people were taken to area hospitals. LaGuardia remained closed for hours after the runway incident, eventually reopening in the afternoon.
Footage of the incident shows the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 plane with it’s nose protruding through a fence at the edge of the airport. The New York City Fire Department said the accident caused a minor fuel leak.