Passengers got the scare of their lives after the cabin started filling with smoke

Tense moments were experienced on a Delta Airlines flight bound for South Carolina, when the aircraft cabin began to fill with smoke , forcing the crew to declare an emergency.

The plane, which had taken off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, had to return immediately to the terminal, where it landed without any injuries being reported.

The incident occurred on Monday, February 24, on Flight 876, a Boeing 717-200 that departed at 8:30 a.m. bound for Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

However, just minutes after takeoff, smoke in the cabin prompted the crew to request an emergency landing. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the landing took place at 9:04 a.m.

"Delta Airlines Flight 876 returned safely after the crew reported possible smoke in the cockpit," the FAA said in a statement.

🚨🇺🇸 Delta passengers were forced to evacuate via slides at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after smoke was seen on the plane. The plane returned to Atlanta, Georgia, and landed safely. pic.twitter.com/5eBHWH1RWt

— Tribuna Digital7 (@TribunaLibreES) February 24, 2025

Upon landing, the 99 passengers and crew were immediately evacuated via emergency slides, while Atlanta Fire Department crews provided assistance on the runway. The passengers were then taken to a conference room for further information on the situation.

Some passengers described moments of distress on the plane. Johnny, one of the passengers, told CNN that the cabin began to fill with smoke shortly after takeoff and that at certain times “it was difficult to breathe.”

Kristin Morris, another passenger, said the fog appeared five to ten minutes after the plane left the airport. “People started yelling ‘smoke, smoke, smoke,’” she recalled.

Videos shared on social media showed the smoke-covered interior of the plane and passengers trying to protect themselves with their clothes. In one of the recordings, a woman expressed concern about the lack of oxygen masks. “They didn’t drop any masks,” she wrote on Facebook.

New air incident in the US: a Delta Airlines plane evacuated after filling with smokeThe Boeing 717 was heading to South Carolina when smoke appeared, making it necessary to evacuate 99 passengers and crew members via emergency routes. There were no injuries. pic.twitter.com/6cwWrwd7sc

— Luis Barranco (@BarrancoAnaya) February 25, 2025

Following the incident, Delta Airlines assured that its crew “followed established procedures” and reiterated that the safety of passengers and staff is its priority. In addition, the airline reported that most of the affected passengers were re-booked on another flight to Columbia, while some opted to travel by land.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said the emergency had moderately affected its operations, but that normal operations returned quickly.

The FAA announced the opening of an investigation to determine the cause of the smoke inside the aircraft.

The problem reported on Flight 876 is not the only one that has recently affected Delta Airlines. A similar case occurred on a flight to Australia, which took off from Los Angeles International Airport and had to return due to the presence of smoke in the cabin. On that occasion, the aircraft was carrying 162 passengers and managed to land without incident.

Also last week, a plane operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavour Air crashed at Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada. The incident left more than 20 people injured, including three passengers in critical condition.

The Nation (Argentina) / GDA.

*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from La Nación (GDA), and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.