Smoke forces Alaska jet evacuation on landing

Monday, August 21, 2006

P-I STAFF

The cabin of an Alaska Airlines jet originating from Seattle began to fill with smoke shortly after landing in Long Beach, Calif., Sunday evening, prompting the evacuation of 140 passengers and the five-member crew on the plane's emergency slides.

Three passengers and a flight attendant reported slight injuries after the evacuation of Flight 338 at Long Beach Airport shortly after smoke first was reported at 6:09 p.m., said Caroline Boren, a spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines.

"Some smoke developed in the cabin," Boren said. "The crew felt (the smoke) was at a level that they needed to get people off the plane right away."

Paramedics met the flight on the taxiway and treated and released two of the passengers and the flight attendant.

The third injured passenger was taken to an area hospital for additional treatment. None of the injuries was believed to be serious, Boren said.

The origin of the smoke in the MD-80 remained unknown late Sunday evening. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board will be examining the plane to determine the cause.

It was the second reported emergency for the Seattle-based airline's fleet in three days and the second time in three months that an MD-80 was evacuated because of smoke in the cabin.

On Friday, an Alaska flight from Vancouver, B.C., to San Francisco was diverted to Sea-Tac Airport when the cabin lost air pressure while in flight.

The plane, a Boeing 737 with 122 passengers, landed safely.

Four people were treated for ear and sinus pain in area hospitals.

In May, an Alaska MD-80 filled with smoke after landing at San Francisco International Airport. About 120 passengers and crew were evacuated safely on emergency slides. No injuries were reported.

Boren said she didn't know the cause of the earlier smoke problems or if it might be the same airplane.

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