Thu, Aug 14, 2008
Passengers Hurt In Slide Evacuation
American Airlines has determined oil residue heated by an engine
caused Flight 31, bound from Los Angeles to Honolulu, to return to
Los Angeles International Airport on August 5. The odor of the oil
and a smoky haze was taken into the cabin through the air
conditioning system.
"We understand that the event was unsettling for our passengers,
and have reached out to our passengers individually," the airline
said. "In all instances such as this, American Airlines conducts a
thorough review of the events in order to learn from them. The
review of the events of Flight 31 has determined that the flight
crew acted appropriately in all instances onboard."
As ANN reported, the flight's return to LAX
delayed the arrival of the inaugural Emirates Airbus A380
commercial flight to the west coast airport.
Eyebrows also raised when flight attendants ordered the
evacuation of passengers via emergency slides... despite no
apparent sign of imminent danger. As a result, several passengers
were reportedly injured while egressing the plane. The National
Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating.
"American Airlines procedure allows for an evacuation when there
is smoke in the cabin of an aircraft," the airline explained.
"Those procedures also allow for flight attendants to initiate an
evacuation. The flight attendants acted appropriately to evacuate
Flight 31, and in fact, the evacuation was accomplished quickly,
exactly according to procedure, and with only very minor injuries
-- which are common in slide evacuations."
Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President -- Onboard Service, said
the airline was "proud" of how the plane's crew handled Flight 31.
"We support their action, commend their professionalism, and know
that the training they participate in yearly plays a major role in
handling scenarios like this."
American added its review of the incident "simply allows
American Airlines to improve its processes for our customers in the
future."
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