In a weird turn of fate, a Delta Airplane was made to alter course so as to make an unscheduled stopover at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, RDU after a heaving, noxious odor filled the cabin, alerting passengers and the crew on board to its existence. To be on the safe side, the odor was so overpowering that the flight crew diverted the plane midway through its route to its destination over to RDU. This direct landing resulted from alarming smells noticed to have started spreading after the plane had just taken off, getting more overpowering by the hour.
Reportedly, the passengers were notified that the smell started spreading after the flight took off. Passengers on board said the smell smelled strange and was very strong.
By this time, many of the passengers felt a sense of unease, leading them to communicate this with the flight crew. The crew immediately evaluated the situation, which would most likely place all the passengers and crew in grave danger, and quickly raised an alarm to inform the pilots.
The pilots had a discussion with the operation team of Delta and concluded that it posed a great health risk and therefore decided to divert their flight for an emergency landing at the nearest airport, which was RDU in this case.
According to reports, on its arrival, the plane was apparently welcomed by emergency people who had long been on standby in case they needed to come out to help assess and respond to the situation. The passengers were instructed to disembark, and they were escorted safely into the terminal as Delta staff and emergency teams investigated the source of the smell.
Although its source is not established with any certainty at this time, preliminary investigations suggest it may have been related to a malfunction within the aircraft’s air or cabin circulation system that allowed certain fumes into the cabin.
The passengers of the flight were all greatly relieved by having landed safely on the ground and thanked the crew for their professionalism and prompt response. Many said that they had been worried, but that the response helped keep them composed: “A little unsettling, but they handled it great, and I’m glad they listened to us,” noted one passenger.
Delta Airlines has since apologized and said to be concerned regarding the outcome for their passengers. The airline assured passengers that all of them would be rebooked on subsequent flights or accommodated if necessary. They are also consulting the maintenance and safety experts to have them properly inspect the aircraft in order to know what may have caused this odor to appear in the first place, and therefore, not happen again.
It has, of course, renewed the discussion on in-flight safety and preparedness for unexpected situations. Unscheduled landings are few, but airlines have their procedures to take care of such situations and assuredly highlight the fact that passenger safety is always the biggest concern. Delta has time and again mentioned that their flight crews are well-trained for all eventualities, right from the quality of air inside the aircraft to ensure safe conditions for everyone on board.
While an unscheduled landing may be inconvenient for travelers, the incident speaks to the value of caution over convenience’s paramount always to consider safety over convenience. In this instance, Delta Air Lines had reason to divert this flight to Raleigh-Durham Airport with minimal notice, helping ensure that all aboard were taken off safely without any morbidity or mortality.
