A Delta flight from Boston to New Orleans was instructed to turn around after a mysterious ‘smoky odor’ was detected in the cabin after the plane was already in the air.
The crew reported fumes in the flight deck and cabin, resulting in the plane returning to Massachusetts on Sunday morning at 9:35 am.
Delta Flight 1398 was carrying 87 passengers, three flight attendants, and two pilots when the emergency landing occurred.
‘Our flight crew followed established procedures and returned to Boston safely,’ a spokesperson for Delta said in a statement.
‘We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels.’
Even though an emergency was declared with air traffic control, the plane landed safely at Boston’s Logan International Airport after 48 minutes, according to flight logs.
Passengers had to wait for hours at the airport before the plane was determined safe to fly.
Delta Flight 1398 departing at 8:48 am EST is listed as ‘diverted,’ but it’s unclear what led to the plane’s sudden landing.
A Delta flight from Boston to New Orleans was instructed to turn around after passengers detected a ‘smoky odor’ (file photo)
The incident occurred at Boston Logan International Airport (pictured) on Sunday morning (file photo)
Since the diversion on Sunday morning, the two other Delta flights between Boston and New Orleans were successfully completed. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what happened to the diverted flight.
Nya Halidy, 32, a passenger on the flight told the Boston Globe that her three hour flight turned into a frustrating all-day affair.
Despite her trip getting off to a rocky start, Halidy told the publication that the crew worked to keep passengers calm while in the air.
‘When it was happening, I had a good understanding… and people weren’t really panicking,’ Halidy told the Globe.
She added that the pilot announced there was an ‘air conditioning malfunction’ and cabin pressure could be affected.
After the plane landed back in Boston, Halidy said the fire department responded and informed passengers that if they begin to feel nauseous they could have inhaled the fumes.
‘I’m definitely a little frustrated, because I’m still not sure what’s happening with some of the accommodations I had,’ Halidy said. ‘But I haven’t slept in 48 hours, so I’m just more tired.’
Air travel has come under close watch recently following the devastating crash on January 29 between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines commercial flight.
A Delta airlines flight flipped over while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 18
The aircrafts crashed in the Potomac River near Washington DC, killing all 67 people involved.
Since then, another Delta airlines flight crashed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17.
Disturbing footage captured the flight flip on its roof during landing. There were 80 passengers on board during the crash and all of them survived with only minor injuries.
Dailymail.com reached out to Delta Airlines and the FAA for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
