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| HAWAIIAN AIRLINES A330-243 N381HA (CN 1114) File Photo |
An Hawaiian Airlines flight from Oakland International Airport (KOAK/OAK) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (PHNL/HNL), had to be evacuated via the slides on the runway after landing when smoke filled the cabin. Seven passengers were taken to hospitals when a Hawaiian Airlines flight landed in Honolulu on Thursday morning with smoke in the cabin and cargo hold, officials said. The passengers had "smoke-related symptoms," Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement.
The smoke buildup happened because oil was leaking "onto hot parts of the plane's engine and air conditioning pressurization system," according to a statement released by the airline, which blamed the leak on a failed seal. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Fire Chief Glenn Mitchell described the passengers' injuries as "minor respiratory" in nature. The seven injured were five adults and two children, airline Chief Operating Officer Jon Snook said. The flight from Oakland made its emergency landing around 11:30 a.m. HT. The other 177 passengers and the seven crew members were bused to the terminal. The smoke began filling the cabin 20 minutes before the plane's arrival, he said. "We sincerely apologize to our passengers for this incident and thank them for their cooperation in the evacuation," the airline statement said. No oxygen masks were deployed to passengers. Snook said the crew didn't want to pump oxygen into the aircraft when there might be a fire. The crew donned smoke masks, he said. A passenger said the cabin began filling up with smoke, “there were a few people that were crying.”. “I was scared said another passenger. It just kept getting worse and worse,” she said, adding that several passengers got “a few little bumps and bruises” from sliding down the emergency slides. Passengers also said that flight attendants passed out wet cloths in order to help them breathe. The crew deployed the plane's emergency slides for the evacuation, which officials said took between 30 and 45 seconds. Because halon was used in the cargo hold, it will take some time to get luggage back to the passengers, Snook said. Each passenger will have their flights comped and will get a voucher for a future flight.
(Halon is an unreactive gaseous compounds of carbon with bromine and other halogens, used in fire extinguishers.)
Airline: Hawaiian
Code: HA/HAL
Aircraft: A321-271
Registration: N218HA
Serial Number: 8764
Engines: 2 X PW1133G
Most of the story was sourced from here but with additions
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