Delta flight returns to ATL Monday morning
A Delta flight bound for South Carolina was forced to return to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday morning after smoke or “haze” filled the aircraft. Passengers were evacuated through the emergency exits after landing. Tyler Fingert reporting.
ATLANTA – Delta Air Lines has faced a series of unsettling incidents recently, including smoke or haze in the cabin on two flights and a separate crash that injured more than 20 people.
Photos courtesy of Kevin McKinney
What we know:
Delta Flight 876 was forced to return to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday morning because of “haze” inside the aircraft.
RAW: Haze on Delta Flight 876
RAW: Haze on Delta Flight 876
According to Delta, the flight crew followed procedures, declared an emergency for priority handling from air traffic control, and returned to Atlanta after the haze was observed.
Upon landing on Runway 27, emergency slides were deployed for egress.
The Boeing 717, which departed Atlanta for Columbia, South Carolina, at approximately 8:30 a.m., was carrying 94 customers, two pilots, and three flight attendants. Two of those passengers were treated by EMTs and released.
Delta teams arranged ground transportation and rebooking for passengers. A continuation flight to Columbia was carried out on another aircraft.
According to the registry information for the aircraft involved, the Boeing 717 was declared airworthy on Sept. 16, 1999.
The backstory:
There have been two other recent incidents involving Delta flights.
On Saturday night, Delta Flight DL43 departed Los Angeles bound for Sydney, Australia.
RELATED: Delta flight diverted back to LAX after smoke detected in galley
Smoke was detected in the galley of the Airbus A350-900, forcing the flight to return to the airport. The aircraft landed safely and proceeded to an arrival gate. There were 162 passengers on the flight.
Additionally, a Delta flight operated by Endeavor Air crashed and landed upside down at Toronto Pearson Airport last week after departing from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport.
RELATED: Delta releases new information about captain, first officer flying plane that crashed in Toronto
No fatalities were reported, but more than 20 people were injured, including three critically injured passengers.
What they’re saying:
A Delta spokesperson explained the actions taken on Monday morning’s Flight 876:
“The flight crew followed procedures to return to Atlanta when a haze inside the aircraft was observed after departure. Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience.”
They also confirmed their teams are remaining in contact with the impacted passengers.
The FAA sent the following to FOX 5 Atlanta:
Delta Air Lines Flight 876 returned safely to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 9 a.m. local time on Monday, February 24, after the crew reported possible smoke in the flightdeck. The Boeing 717-200 was headed to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina. The FAA will investigate.
Why you should care:
These incidents have raised fresh concerns about safety protocols as Delta Air Lines works to address the challenges and ensure the well-being of its passengers amid these recent events.
