Fumes detected in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines flight bound for Phoenix prompted the pilots to return to Portland International Airport in Oregon.
The crew of Flight 646 declared an emergency yesterday after passengers in the back of the plane reported smelling “some fumes or an odor.”
Seven people, including passengers and crew, requested medical evaluations.
Fire crews investigated but could not determine the cause of the odor. No one was taken to hospital and the plane landed safely.
“Guests disembarked and boarded a different aircraft to continue their journey to Phoenix,” the airline said.
‘Our maintenance team is inspecting the aircraft in question. We apologize to our guests for the inconvenience.’
The crew of Flight 646 declared an emergency after passengers in the back of the plane reported smelling “some fumes or an odor” (File photo)
The Phoenix-bound plane was forced to return to Portland International Airport after passengers in the back of the plane reported smelling “some fumes or an odor.”
The Boeing 737-800 flight left Portland at 5:26 p.m., reaching an altitude of 35,000 feet, according to Flightaware.
It turned southwest of Burns, Oregon, and landed back in Portland at 6:33 p.m.
It came as the head of the federal investigation into a problematic January flight on a Boeing 737 MAX plane criticized the aviation giant for failing to provide key information quickly.
Two months after the investigation of the January 5 Alaska Airlines flight, the National Transportation Safety Board still has not received key documents at the center of the investigation, nor the names of about 25 Boeing employees who worked on the investigation. part in question, said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer. Homendy told the Senate Commerce Committee.
‘We don’t have the records. We don’t have the names of the 25 people in charge of doing that work at that facility,’ Homendy said. “It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have that.”
The comments drew harsh criticism from lawmakers including Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who called Boeing’s conduct “completely unacceptable.”
There were no serious injuries in the January 5 incident in which the Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing after suffering an explosion in a panel of the plane’s fuselage.
The fuselage was built by Boeing contractor Spirit AeroSystems, but the problem is believed to be due to maintenance on the part performed at the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, where the air cap is believed to have been removed and reinstalled. door.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said investigators have sought the names of the 25 people who work on door stoppers at a Boeing facility in Renton, Washington, but have not received them.
Bolts appear to be missing from the door plug that exploded on a Boeing 737 MAX during an Alaska Airlines flight on January 5.
The NTSB had previously said four bolts holding the panel were missing.
Homendy said the head of the Boeing team working on the door plug is on medical leave.
He said the agency has made no progress with requests to Boeing for 25 additional employees for the team.
“We have repeatedly requested Boeing for documentation accompanying the work of opening the door plug, closing the door plug or any type of removal, if any,” Homendy added.
Boeing, which has consistently promised “transparency” in response to the Jan. 5 incident, said it has “deep respect” for the NTSB and defended its ability to respond.
“From the earliest moments following the accident of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, we have worked proactively and transparently to fully support the NTSB investigation,” a Boeing statement said.
“Early in the investigation, we provided the NTSB with the names of Boeing employees, including door specialists, who we believed would have relevant information,” the company said.
‘We have provided the full list of people in the Gate 737 team, in response to a recent request.
‘Regarding documentation, if the door plug removal was not documented, there would be no documentation to share. “We will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the NTSB investigation.”