American Eagle flight at Charlotte airport evacuated due to smoke coming from plane
A regional flight in American Airlines’ network was evacuated Thursday morning in Charlotte due to smoke from the plane, according to airport officials.
The aircraft going to Columbia, South Carolina, was moving backwards away from a gate onto the taxiway for the departure. But it returned with the flight crew asking for assistance due to a report of smoke, Charlotte Douglas International Airport confirmed.
The Charlotte Fire Department responded and cleared the scene shortly after the incident.
American Eagle flight 5720, operated by Piedmont Airlines, reported a mechanical issues, American Airlines said in a statement. Close to 50 passengers got off the aircraft and it was towed to the gate to be inspected by a maintenance team.
Three crew members also were on board. A flight attendant was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
The flight departed to Columbia on a replacement aircraft.
“We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for the inconvenience this caused,” the airline stated.
CLT is the seventh busiest airport in the world for arrivals and departures, according to Airports Council International. Most of those flights are provided by American Airlines. CLT is the second largest hub for the Fort Worth, Texas-based company and accounts for about 90% of all flights out of the airport.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 2:22 PM.
