FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Five members of an American Airlines flight crew were taken to a hospital as a precaution Thursday after complaining of an odor on the plane at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
American Airlines flight 1897 from Philadelphia landed in Fort Lauderdale about 11 a.m.
"Shortly before landing, crew members complained of an odor onboard," American Airlines spokeswoman Alexis Aran Coello said in a statement.
She said two pilots and three flight attendants asked to be taken to a hospital as a precaution.
We’ve been able to confirm the 5 people who fell ill were crew members from @AmericanAir. Waiting on more info. One man tells me he was about to board that flight to Philly when the crew members were rushed off in wheelchairs. @WPLGLocal10
— Ian Margol (@IanMargolWPLG) January 10, 2019
"I heard one of the security guys walk by, and he's like, 'I need four wheelchairs. We need one ASAP," passenger Andrew O'Donnell said. "They just sort of wheeled everybody off and they said they smelled an odor on the plane. And when that happened, they said that they obviously weren't going to let anybody else on."
There were 137 passengers on the flight, but they were not affected.
"The aircraft is being evaluated by our maintenance team," Coello said.
Michael Kane, battalion chief for the Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Fire Rescue, said the patients were taken to Broward Health Medical Center.
O'Donnell said he and other passengers who were waiting to board the flight were given vouchers to be booked on different flights.