Allegiant flight evacuated in Arizona over smell

By: 11 years ago

Passengers at O’Hare International Airport wait in a ticketing line Tuesday, May 13, 2014, in Chicago. Smoke in a regional radar facility forced a halt to all incoming and outgoing flights at both of Chicagos airports. The Federal Aviation Administration says all its personnel were evacuated from the Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON, facility in suburban Elgin at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. AP

MESA, Arizona—Officials are investigating the source of an odor aboard an Allegiant Air flight that caused passengers to evacuate the plane using emergency slides.

Federal Aviation Administration officials say Flight 142 was taxiing for a 1:30 p.m. departure Monday at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport when the pilot reported smelling smoke.

Airport spokesman Brian Sexton says there was a smell of smoke in the cabin and authorities believe it came from the plane’s electrical system.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 was quickly evacuated on a runway, with 162 passengers using the inflatable slides. Sexton says six people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The flight was headed for Wichita, Kansas. A new plane was called in to fly the passengers to their destination.

The FAA says it’s investigating.