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| SOUTHWEST AIRLINES B737-7H4 N418WN (MSN 29823) File Photo |
Following a bizarre onboard situation, a Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas (DFW/KDFW) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL/KFLL) was diverted to Pensacola (PNS/KPNS) last Wednesday. The flight made an emergency landing after two passengers began arguing and one of them slapped the other with a cellphone, causing it to smolder and raise fire risks. The aircraft landed safely with no injuries. The incident occurred on Southwest flight WN-4699. However, the usual 2 hours and 55-minute flight took a dramatic turn after two passengers onboard got into a fight which quickly escalated to a physical confrontation.
The flight took off from Dallas at 14:30 local time, 25 minutes behind schedule. Things went smoothly for the first hour of the flight, with the aircraft making its way into the Gulf of Mexico and toward the tip of Florida. However, in the back of the plane, two passengers began verbally arguing, with the confrontation escalating from there. According to The Aviation Herald, the argument turned physical when the plane was about 110 nautical miles (204 kilometers) away from Pensacola, just entering the Gulf of Mexico. The female passenger reportedly slapped the male neighbor with a cellphone. The phone subsequently began smoldering, with an alarmed passenger warning of a fire. The crew quickly jumped into action. The cabin crew quickly rushed to the scene of the smoking phone to contain the situation and prevent an onboard fire. According to a statement by Southwest, seen in Local 10, the crew placed the phone in a battery containment bag to ensure it does not catch fire. One passenger near the scene was all praise for the crew’s response, saying,
“Everyone kind of went crazy and then all of a sudden we see smoke and I heard the words ‘fire’ and then next to us there was the object literally smoking…They [the cabin crew] truly made everyone feel super safe, and I can not be more grateful for how the situation ended.”
The aircraft landed in Pensacola at 16:05 local time, a full two hours and 37 minutes after departing from Dallas. Upon landing, law enforcement promptly offloaded the two passengers who were traveling together. Footage shows at least two officers escorting the pair off the plane, along with a young child as well.
Aircraft Information:
Airline: Southwest Airlines
Code: WN/SWA
Aircraft: B737-7H4
Registration: N445WN
Serial Number: 29841
Story sourced from here
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