Foul Odor Due to Mechanical Issue, Not Fart, Says American Airlines
Following a number of reports that the recent flight evacuation at Raleigh-Durham International Airport was caused by a farting passenger, American Airlines refuted the claims and said that the foul odor that had emerged inside the plane came from the cabin and not from a gassy passenger. In fact, the airline said there was no evacuation at all.
Previously, it was reported that the flight was evacuated after one of the people on board passed gas inside the plane, causing the rest of the passengers to feel queasy. According to reports, the foul odor caused them to experience headache and nausea, which urged the airline to order an evacuation.
In a statement made following the incident, however, American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said that the foul odor was not due to some flatulence but was actually a mechanical issue with Flight 1927. The said flight traveled from Charlotte and had just landed at the airport in Raleigh, Durham, when the passengers suddenly smelled a nasty odor.
"We did have an aircraft from Charlotte to RDU this afternoon, that landed at 2:19 p.m. ET, and arrived the gate at 2:21 p.m. ET, that is currently out of service for an actual mechanical issue—and odor in the cabin. But it is not due to 'passed gas' as mentioned," said Feinstein on Monday.
In a separate statement, American Airlines also denied reports that the flight was evacuated. Feinstein cleared that the medical call for the affected passengers came after the people had already deplaned.
"Plane was not evacuated. Medical call for persons affected by an odor came in after plane deplaned normally," read the statement.
This came following reports from several media outlets across the United Kingdom and India that claimed that the flight's passengers fell ill after inhaling an ailing man's gas inside the plane.