Luggage Fell From ASA Plane Near MDW
Here's one high-flying story of lost luggage, that has a sort-of
happy ending. A nine-year-old girl will soon have a new doll, after
the suitcase carrying her "American Girl" doll fell out of a Delta
Connection airliner over South Chicago Sunday morning.
We'll repeat that: the suitcase fell out of an Atlantic
Southeast Airlines regional jet (thus adding yet another
checkmark to that carrier's storied
reputation--Ed.) ASA
spokeswoman Kate Modolo told the Orlando Sentinel the CRJ700 was
cleared for departure from Chicago Midway, despite a problem with
the cargo door indicator light.
It would appear that may have been a poor decision. According to
the FAA Preliminary Report, the plane's cargo door blew out shortly
after takeoff... tossing several suitcases, one of them Abby Ann
Telan's doll-toting duffel bag, into the nighttime sky.
The Orlando-area fourth-grader says the incident made her "feel
sad and scared." After several worrisome minutes inflight -- in
which passengers prayed openly over "awful, metal banging sounds,"
in the words of Abby Ann's father, Patrick -- the stricken CRJ
landed back at MDW.
"I don't know where she landed or if she is OK," she said of her
doll, Marisol Luna, which is no longer in regular production by the
American Girl company.
Like we said, though, this particular story has something
resembling a happy ending. Several Chicago Tribune readers and
their children offered to donate their own Marisol Luna dolls to
Abby Ann. Her father, Patrick Telan, said American Girl is sending
the little girl a brand-new one.
No word yet on when other passengers whose luggage also
inadvertantly took flight will get their possession returned,
though.
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: ACQ718
Make/Model: CRJ2 Description:
CANADAIR CRJ-200, RJ-200 REGIONAL JET
Date: 10/21/2007 Time: 1545
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury:
None Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: CHICAGO State: IL Country:
US
DESCRIPTION
DELTA CONNECTION FLIGHT 4718, A CANADAIR CRJ-200 AIRCRAFT,
ON DEPARTURE,
EXPERIENCED A CABIN PRESSURE PROBLEM AND RETURNED TO LAND,
IT WAS
DETERMINED THAT A BAGGAGE DOOR BLEW OFF SPILLING TWO BAGS
ONTO THE GROUND,
NO INJURIES REPORTED, CHICAGO, IL
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 0
# Crew: 0 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase:
Take-off Operation: Air Carrier
FAA FSDO: WEST CHICAGO, IL
(GL03)
Entry date: 10/22/2007
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.25.24): Airport Rotating Beacon
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