Passengers Evacuate United Express Plane Using Emergency Slides After Smoke Alert
Passengers preparing to fly from Houston to Atlanta on Saturday morning found themselves making an unexpected exit before their aircraft ever left the runway. A smoke alert aboard their United Express flight prompted an emergency evacuation, with inflatable slides deployed from the plane.
Firefighters rushed to George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Oct. 24 as the Embraer E175 aircraft remained on the ground. Fortunately, everyone aboard escaped safely, with no injuries reported.
The incident involved United Express flight UA6153, operated by Mesa Airlines. The flight was originally scheduled to leave Houston at 7:20 a.m. from Terminal E.
In a statement provided to ABC13, Mesa Airlines explained that a sensor had alerted the crew to possible smoke in the cabin shortly after the aircraft pushed back from its gate. KHOU-11 also shared the statement from Mesa Airlines:
“We performed a precautionary evacuation of UA6153 shortly after pushback in Houston after a sensor alert indicated smoke in the cabin. The crew conducted a safe and orderly exit and no injuries were reported. We apologize for this disruption to our passengers’ travel plans and will swap to a different aircraft to complete the flight.”
Emergency Crews Respond to Smoke Report at Houston Airport
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The warning was not the only indication that something was amiss. A passenger aboard the aircraft told KPRC 2 that smoke had begun filling the cabin while the plane was taxiing for departure.
The Houston Fire Department dispatched multiple units to the airport. According to KPRC 2, firefighters later reported that the smoke was out and declared the aircraft “fire safe.”
Photographs and video obtained by ABC13 showed the aircraft with its emergency slides deployed and firefighters attending to the scene.
Mesa Airlines confirmed that the passengers and crew exited safely. The company also apologized for the interruption to their travel plans, saying another aircraft would be provided to complete the journey.
The airline has not identified what caused the sensor warning or explained the source of the smoke reported by the passenger.
Passengers Reach Atlanta Hours Behind Schedule
The emergency created a lasting wrinkle in the travelers’ journeys to Georgia. Mesa transferred passengers to a different aircraft, and the flight eventually continued to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
According to flight-tracking information cited by ABC13, the travelers arrived approximately three hours later than originally scheduled.
The incident also offers a reminder of why airlines instruct passengers to leave their belongings behind during an emergency evacuation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns that stopping to retrieve luggage can slow an evacuation and potentially damage emergency slides. The agency advises travelers to follow crew instructions and head for the nearest safe exit rather than attempting to recover their bags.
As of Oct. 26, no publicly confirmed cause has emerged for the smoke alert aboard UA6153. Mesa has not announced the results of any inspection of the original aircraft, but the passengers were able to complete their trip aboard its replacement without further reported incident.
