Amid an already bizarre year of airline mishaps, malfunctions, and catastrophes, an Alaska Airlines flight traveling from Portland to Las Vegas added a new wrinkle by being forced to land and evacuate due to, of all things, a "strong odor" in the cockpit.
From The New York Post:
Flight 757 was taking off at Portland International Airport at around 9:50 a.m local time when the odd-smelling 'fumes' forced the plane to immediately land, according to FOX12.
Fire crews rushed passengers off the Boeing 737-800 and determined there was no blaze, Port of Portland officials told the outlet.
Nine passengers did ask for a medical evaluation, so that must have been a pretty awful stench.
The airline issued a statement addressing the odorous obstacle.
'Crew members detected a strong odor this morning on board Alaska Airlines Flight 757,' the airline rep said. 'As a precaution, the pilots returned to PDX where medical professionals met the aircraft at the gate and evaluated crew members and guests.'
'The aircraft was removed from service for inspection, and we are reaccommodating our guests on another aircraft. We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused.'
No statements were made publicly by the crew members who noticed the odor, likely due to a desire to avoid the old "he who smelt it dealt it" argument, which could potentially lead to the equally painful "whoever denied it supplied it" assertion.
No word yet on the source of the smell or what the captain may have had for dinner.
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