An American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Miami experienced an emergency evacuation on Friday after a passenger’s laptop began emitting smoke. The incident resulted in three passengers sustaining minor injuries, necessitating hospital visits. Emergency slides and a jet bridge were utilized for the evacuation, and the flight was subsequently rescheduled for later that day.
Passenger Jan Jankai recounted to ABC News the smell of “burned cables” that preceded the evacuation. He and his father attempted to unbuckle their seat belts and reach the emergency exit as the odor intensified.
Flight 2045 was originally set to depart from San Francisco International Airport at 12:15 PM local time. The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) reported that three individuals suffered minor injuries during the evacuation, with one requiring hospitalization.
Video footage captured emergency responders removing the smoking laptop from the passenger’s bag and placing it in a water-filled container. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced an investigation into the incident, as confirmed by spokesperson Steve Kulm.