Over 150 passengers and crew were returned to their original airport after a concerning smell emerged in the cabin of their plane this week.
The Boeing 737 MAX-9 on its way to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) was sent back to San Francisco (SFO) on Tuesday. A spokesperson for United Airlines tells PEOPLE that the reason for the flight’s diversion was a “plastic burning smell in the cabin.”
When the plane returned to SFO, United says that the customers were able to deplane without issue. After they arrived, the airline arranged for them to be taken to their next destination on a different plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that it is currently investigating the incident. FlightAware shows that the plane took off at 9:47 a.m. local time in San Francisco and diverted from its original path around 30 minutes later.
Multiple United Airlines Incidents This Week
This is the second incident involving United Airlines planes at SFO this week. Two planes collided on the tarmac on Monday, in an incident the FAA describes as occurring when one plane struck the other “while pushing back from the gate.”
United says that the moving plane struck the tail of the stationary plane, and the result was a minor collision. The FAA also noted that the incident took place in an area in which air traffic controllers do not normally communicate with planes.
A similar incident involving a concerning smell took place earlier this year on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. A passenger’s phone was stuck between two seats, and others in the cabin reported an “electrical smell” on the plane.
The flight, which was heading from Honolulu to Tokyo, Japan, was forced to make an emergency landing at Haneda Airport “out of an abundance of caution.” The plane landed without incident and received “priority handling” when it arrived at the gate.
Staff members were able to dislodge the phone from the two seats, and no one was hurt or injured.
Efforts to Improve Safety in Air Travel
Air traffic events and incidents on airplanes have been more prominent recently, urging the federal government – and particularly Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy – to take action.
The secretary recently introduced expanded training resources for air traffic controllers, as the FAA is in the midst of a nationwide shortage. One of those resources will be government-sponsored training at a community college in New Hampshire.
“We’re solving the air traffic controller shortage one step at a time,” Duffy said last month.
“Our new partnership with Nashua Community College will help us continue to attract the best and brightest to fill our air traffic control towers. To all the young Americans considering a career in this exciting field — your work will make flying safer and more efficient than ever.”
