Smoking Trash Can Forces American Airlines Boeing 737 Into Emergency U-Turn To O’Hare

A recent American Airlines flight was forced to return to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and declare an emergency landing when the crew detected smoke in the cabin. The flight, operating as AA618, was a scheduled nonstop service from O'Hare to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Just minutes after takeoff from the Windy City, the crew identified the problem and opted to land.

AA618 had departed from O'Hare on Friday, October 16, when smoke was found to be coming from a trash can located in the aircraft's galley. This saw the crew spring into action, and according to NBC Chicago, those onboard were not required to use a fire extinguisher. The aircraft returned to O'Hare just 26 minutes after departure.

American Flight 618 Diverted To O'Hare

Reviewing flight data on Simple Flying's Live Flight Tracker identifies that the 737-800 had pushed back from the gate at 12:19 PM on Friday, just nine minutes after its scheduled departure time from O'Hare, of 12:10 PM. After taxiing, the jet departed from Runway 4R/22L in a southwesterly direction. Just minutes after departure, it appears trouble struck, and the aircraft made a quick turn above the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale to head back to the airport.

The plane did not gain much altitude, with the flight at its highest point reaching 4,875 feet (1,486 m). After just 26 minutes in the air, the aircraft landed on runway 10C/28C. A report by Paddle Your Own Kanoo confirmed that the flight crew declared ' mayday' and made the quick decision, out of an abundance of caution, to return to the airport.

Emergency services met the aircraft on the tarmac as it landed to inspect both the exterior and interior of the plane. Simple Flying reached out to American for comment on flight 618; however, an airline spokesperson could not immediately be reached.

Quick Actions By The Crew Highlight The Importance Of Cabin Fire Safety

The crew acted quickly when it was identified that smoke was coming from the trash can in the galley, and did not require the use of a fire extinguisher. No crew or passengers reported any injuries, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation as to what had occurred.

Once the incident was under control, passengers were able to disembark and return to the terminal. A replacement service was scheduled under the same flight number and departed from O'Hare at 4:04 PM for the two-hour and three-minute flight to Texas. It arrived in Dallas/Fort Worth at 6:07 PM, three hours and 14 minutes behind the first flight's initial arrival time of 2:53 PM.

The aircraft, N974AN, at the time of writing remains on the ground at O'Hare. It is currently set to resume regular service in the morning, and at this time will operate the first flight as AA2896 to Dallas/Fort Worth on October 17.

Aircraft History: N974AN

The plane at the centre of the incident carries US aircraft registration N974AN, serial number (MSN) 30098. The plane was first delivered to American in 2001, and has been an integral part of the airline's 737 fleet ever since. Data from ch-aviation identifies the oneworld carrier as operating a total of 303 of this aircraft type. Full details below:

In the case of flight AA618, the decision to declare an emergency landing is due to the potential fire that could lead to a catastrophic event if uncontained. Smoke in the cabin can compromise aircraft systems and fill the cabin with toxic smoke within a small timeframe. Active fires onboard can incapacitate crew and passengers within minutes.

The quick action by the crew to return to O'Hare allowed emergency services to attend to the aircraft, and all passengers and crew were able to disembark safely and unharmed.