'Sudden Burst of Smoke' Forces American Airlines Flight to Make Emergency Landing

Jan. 03, 2019

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2 min read

'Sudden Burst of Smoke' Forces American Airlines Flight to Make Emergency Landing

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An American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York was forced to make an emergency landing in Phoenix Wednesday night after a "sudden burst of smoke" was emitted in the front galley of the aircraft.

Flight AA10 took off from LAX at 9pm on Wednesday, heading for New York's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK). According to flight tracking site FlightRadar24, the Airbus A321 diverted to Phoenix (PHX) about an hour and a half into the transcon flight.

One passenger on board, Terron Austin, tweeted that there was a "sudden burst of smoke followed by an announcement to immediately prepare for landing."

There were reportedly no injuries among the 97 passengers on the A321.

In an email to TPG, American Airlines confirmed the plane was forced to divert to PHX due to a "mechanical issue." The initial assessment from the maintenance team was that the issue was caused by a "faulty chiller" on the aircraft. The airline says that passengers were given "overnight accommodations" on Wednesday, and the flight will re-depart on Thursday morning.

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