CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A US Airways plane that left 15 people ill in January has again sickened passengers and crew, this time on a flight scheduled to leave Charlotte on Tuesday morning.
Nine people were taken to the hospital from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport after complaining of symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic fumes. Two pilots, five flight attendants and two passengers were taken to Carolinas Medical Center from Flight 985, which was scheduled to depart for Jamaica at 9:35 a.m. EDT, US Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said.
Shortly after the plane pushed back from the gate, an electrical smell was reported in the cabin. The plane returned to the gate, and subsequent hazardous material tests showed no air quality issues, Mohr said.
"We've taken it out of service until we resolve the issue," she said.
The aircraft, a Boeing 767, also was involved in a January incident in which eight passengers and seven crew members complained of headaches and nausea on a US Airways flight to Charlotte from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The plane was grounded for six days while workers discovered and repaired the problem, which was a slight fuel leak into the cabin air system, Mohr said.
The plane had experienced no further problems until Tuesday morning, said Mohr, who said the plane will again be examined in Charlotte.
"Our first and foremost concern is our passenger's safety," she said.
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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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