A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Fort Lauderdale returned to Havana Sunday after the aircraft was reportedly struck by a bird and cellphone video showed smoke filling the cabin.
Southwest flight 3923 returned to José Martí International Airport after passengers reported the engine catching fire mid-flight.
"Southwest flight #3923 departing Havana, Cuba, for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday morning reportedly experienced bird strikes to an engine and the aircraft’s nose shortly after takeoff," an airline spokesperson said in a statement to NBC 6.
Cellphone video showed smoke filling the cabin and the oxygen masks released. Passengers were heard yelling in panic. The video showed a man trying to identify all children on board, as parents frantically explained to their kids they must wear the masks.
“Like a big boom. Like an explosion," passenger Steven Rodriguez told NBC 6 in a phone interview.
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Several passengers said the air masks on the plane did not deploy.
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"People started taking matters into their own hands and by force were punching the roof to eject the masks," Rodriguez said. "And people had bloody knuckles and all because they were punching the roof. There were little kids on the plane and elderly women."
According to the National Library of Medicine, deployment of oxygen masks in a fire is not recommended by airline procedures because it increases oxygen concentration, causing a greater fire hazard.
Jorge Montesino told NBC 6 that when he saw the engine on fire, he immediately texted his wife and told her to tell their kids he loves them. Montesino and many others feared the worst.
“To be honest, I thought it was my time to go," Rodriguez said. "I was terrified.”
As the plane landed, passengers are heard clapping and cheering in cellphone video.
“[The captain] was incredible," Montesino said. "With only one engine, the left engine, she was able to turn the plane around and land safely."
The plane was safely returned to Havana and the passengers evacuated the aircraft via the emergency slides. Passengers said at least one woman had some sort of head injury.
The airline said the customers and crew would be accommodated on another flight to Fort Lauderdale. Most of them were booked for another flight on Monday morning. Cuban airport officials said the passengers were evacuated in good condition and an investigation was underway.
