Panic and chaos erupted among the passengers of a Southwest Airlines flight from Cuba to Florida, after the plane was filled with smoke from the inside, due to a “flock of birds.”
What happened?
Shortly after takeoff from Havana, smoke began filling the cabin of Flight 3923 after birds were said to have struck one of the plane’s engines and nose.
Passengers
There were 147 passengers and six crew members on board the Boeing 737, and the pilot managed to return the flight to Havana safely.
Southwest Airlines told the Guardian that there were no reports of injuries.
Passengers experienced terrifying moments in Southwest flight from Cuba to FLL after birds struck one of the engines which caused it to catch fire and cabin to fill up with smoke. Plane landed back in Havana, Cuba. The airline only reported minor injuries🙏| #ONLYinDADE pic.twitter.com/KzRdp3gXwC
— ONLY in DADE (@ONLYinDADE) March 6, 2023
Terrifying footage
In terrifying cellphone footage recorded inside the plane, some passengers desperately tried to punch the ceilings above their seats to release their oxygen masks, as anxious travelers were engulfed in smoke.
He heard screams and growls mixed with panic from adults, as a child broke out in tears, while the passengers remained in the dark about what was going on, and one passenger described hearing a “thump” before smoke began to fill the cabin.
After the plane landed safely at Marte Airport, passengers were seen using the plane’s emergency slide to disembark, with emergency personnel waiting nearby.