The fire that forced emergency landing of Southwest Airlines flight WN3923 this Sunday at the José Martí International Airport in Havana occurred when a bird hit the turbine and the nose of the plane shortly after taking off to Fort Lauderdale (Florida), according to a statement from the airline.
“The pilots returned to Havana safely where they evacuated the passengers from the aircraft through slides, due to the smoke in the cabin,” he added in his message. The company has also sent an email message to the passengers, to whom it apologizes for what happened and assures that it will return the money in the original form of payment and will give away a coupon valued at $300.
It is still unknown how many people were on board the ship, but according to what some passengers told the Miami press, they were all taken to various hotels in Havana until they could reorganize their return to Florida, foreseeably this Monday.
It is still unknown how many people were on board the ship, but according to what some passengers told the press, they were all taken to various hotels in Havana until they could reorganize their return to Florida.
According to the official Cuban press, two people suffered minor injuries, “without danger to life,” and were treated at the General Calixto García Clinical-Surgical University Hospital.
In addition, three other people with hypertension suffered “precordial pain”, so they were also taken to the center to be checked, according to an official from the Ministry of Public Health.
The incident was heard from the Calabazar neighborhood in Havana, where a neighbor gave the alert to 14ymedio, which advanced the news. “Three explosions were felt and in the air the plane began to release black smoke from one of the turbines,” he said.
“It looked like it was going to fall on us, but it turned around and re-entered the track,” the witness told this newspaper. Another resident in the El Globo area, also close to the airport, described a similar scene: “The explosions were heard and we saw the plane turn around to return to the airport.”
An airport source confirmed to 14ymedio that the aircraft had landed in the area of the runway closest to Terminal 3, although it had initially departed from Terminal 2. “The firefighters and ambulances arrived but no details are yet known, the entire place is cordoned off,” the employee told the first moments.
Steven Rodriguez, one of the passengers, he told Miami television how the event was experienced inside the ship, in which, according to his version, there were many minors and older people.
Although the incident lasted approximately 10 or 12 minutes, the young man affirms that that time seemed eternal for them, since they experienced authentic moments of panic when they began to see the smoke inside the cabin
Although the incident lasted approximately 10 or 12 minutes, the young man affirms that that time seemed eternal for them, since they experienced authentic moments of panic when they began to see the smoke inside the cabin.
Rodríguez laments that the oxygen masks did not fall until the blows from the passengers made them come out, already in the final moments, and as a result, many people inhaled smoke, although he protected himself by covering himself with clothing. The system is prepared for a possible depressurization in the cabin, when the aircraft flies at high altitude, although it can also be forced manually by the pilots.
According to his statements, one of the slightly injured was bleeding after hitting one of the hard parts of the plane.
The Cuban Company of Airports and Airport Services (Ecasa) indicated that a commission has been created to investigate the causes of the event.
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