An American Airlines flight from Orlando to Phoenix was forced to divert to Houston on Sunday, Nov. 23, after the crew reported fumes in the flight deck and cabin.
According to American Airlines, four crewmembers and one passenger were transported to the hospital in Houston.
Awriteupfrom the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident, said American Airlines flight 2118 was operated by an Airbus A321 and landed safely at George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport after diverting.
American Airlines acknowledged the incident and said that passengers were transported to Phoenix on a replacement aircraft.
"On Nov. 23, American Airlines flight 2118 landed safely and taxied to the gate under its own power at Houston (IAH) following reports of an odor on board," a statement from the airline said, adding that first responders met the incident aircraft at the gate.
Toxic fume incidentson airplanes have gotten more attention in recent years, although flight attendants and other industry advocates say they have been an issue for decades. They're often caused by simple maintenance mishaps.
Most airplanes use what's known as a bleed air system, which pulls air through the engines into the cabin. When the engines are maintained properly, it's safe, but if their oil reserves are inadvertently overfilled, it can lead to chemical vapors mixing into the cabin air, leading to toxic fumes that can cause passengers and flight crews to feel sick.
Cruising Altitude:Yes, you could inhale toxic fumes during your flight.
Raychel Armstrong, an active flight attendant and vice president of Transportation Workers Union Local 577, told USA TODAY in 2023 that she had experienced toxic fume incidents more than once at work.
"We just started getting nauseous, I got a cough afterwards," she said. "This is normal for us, but it's something that should never have been normalized in the first place."
A Wall Street Journalinvestigationfound that toxic fume incidents were especially common on Airbus A320-family aircraft.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Why an 'odor on board' led this American Airlines flight to divert