Emergency Landing In Hawaii: Passengers Exit On Plane’s Emergency Slides After Odor Of Fumes Forced Return

An emergency landing in Hawaii Friday caused a Hawaiian Airlines plane to return to Kahului. It was less than 30 minutes before that the plane had departed the same airport, but a strange odor forced the plane to turn around. Flight 24 was on its way to Oakland after departing at 11:18 a.m. When an odor of fumes was detected, the plane turned around and landed at 11:50 a.m., the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Two hundred and twenty-four passengers had to exit the plane on emergency slides. The airlines said two passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Passengers were told they could board a 10:15 p.m. flight bound for Oakland, or the airline will provide overnight accommodations for those who prefer waiting in Maui until Saturday to leave. Hawaiian will refund airfare to the affected passengers due to the emergency landing.

Honolulu’s Star Advertiser reports more on the emergency landing in Hawaii. The Boeing 767-300 also carried 10 crew members besides the 224 passengers.

Several flights were diverted to Honolulu while the plane in Kahului remained on the runway a while after landing, said Tim Sakahara, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. He said that an investigation continues into the odor of fumes that made themselves present during Flight 24.

In February, American Airlines experienced a similar scare when the plane departed Dallas and an “unusual odor” filled the cockpit. ABC News reports that the plane was on its way to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when, 45 minutes into the flight, pilots diverted it to Tulsa. Sixty-three passengers with the crew were bused to the airport terminal after landing.

Also in February, a United Airlines flight leaving Dulles Airport had to be diverted to Newark, the New York Post reports. Once again, an unusual odor in the cockpit emerged and the plane had to make an emergency landing. Several passengers requested medical treatment because they were exposed to the odor of fumes heavily filling the cabin.

There were an estimated 220 passengers on United Airlines Flight 932. Authorities inspected the plane for what may have caused the potential of fumes in the plane, but they were unable to find anything.

In all of the cases reported here, travelers arrived unharmed after the emergency landings. Plans, schedules, and a little more anxiety was added on their journey, but they safely made it back to the airport.

The emergency landing in Hawaii was a little more serious in nature, since the plane’s emergency exit slides were utilized to get passengers off the aircraft.

[Photo Credit: Aviation Explorer]