Seven passengers on Hawaiian Airlines flight taken to hospital after the plane was forced to make an emergency landing when SMOKE filled the cabin and cargo hold

  • Smoke filled the cabin of Hawaiian Airlines flight 47 from Oakland to Honolulu
  • The plane was 20 minutes away from landing when an emergency was declared 
  • Video recorded by a passenger shows frightening moment in the cabin Thursday
  • The plane landed on the runway and passengers evacuated on emergency slides
  • Five adults and two children were taken to hospital for smoke-related symptoms
  • The airline said oil was leaking onto the engine and AC because of a failed seal

By Reuters and Sophie Wingate For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Seven people were taken to hospital when a Hawaiian Airlines jetliner made an emergency landing in Honolulu on Thursday after smoke filled the cabin and cargo hold, officials said.

The passengers had 'smoke-related symptoms,' the carrier said in a statement on Twitter. 

Hawaiian Airlines Flight 47, an Airbus A321neo flying from Oakland, California, was about 20 minutes away from its scheduled noon landing in Honolulu when an emergency was declared, officials said. 

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A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Oakland, California, was about 20 minutes away from its scheduled noon landing in Honolulu on Thursday when an emergency was declared
Smoke filled the cabin and cargo hold

A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Oakland, California, was about 20 minutes away from its scheduled noon landing in Honolulu on Thursday when an emergency was declared. Smoke filled the cabin and cargo hold

The plane (pictured) was forced to make an emergency landing and passengers were evacuated using emergency slides

The plane (pictured) was forced to make an emergency landing and passengers were evacuated using emergency slides

Dramatic footage recorded by a passenger shows the smoke-filled cabin and people covering their mouths.

'The smoke just continued to get thicker and thicker. It got to the point where you could only see four or five feet in front of you. They said get as low as you possibly could to the ground to try and breathe in the fresh air that was closer to the ground,' passenger Dave Gelber told KHON2.

Linda Puu, another passenger, told the channel: 'The smoke just filled and it impacted everybody in the same way - finding it very hard to breathe, but the stewardess came along with a wet cloth and was giving us all wet paper towels to breathe through.'

'I was praying,' she added. 'I was glad though we were able to land and we didn't have to do a water landing.'

After touching down on the runway in Honolulu at around 11:30 a.m. HT, the plane deployed its slides for the 184 passengers and seven crew to escape, officials said. 

That took between 30 and 45 seconds, according to authorities. 

Dramatic video recorded by a passenger shows the smoke-filled cabin. 'It got to the point where you could only see four or five feet in front of you,' Dave Gelber told KHON2

Dramatic video recorded by a passenger shows the smoke-filled cabin. 'It got to the point where you could only see four or five feet in front of you,' Dave Gelber told KHON2

The carrier released a statement on Twitter, explaining that the smoke was caused by a failed seal that allowed oil to leak onto the engine

The carrier released a statement on Twitter, explaining that the smoke was caused by a failed seal that allowed oil to leak onto the engine


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When asked about going down the emergency slide, passenger Lucky Cara told KHON2: 'That’s a pain because I don’t have a good back. I said I never done this. I slide and hit the cement and the fireman picks me up.'

'You never think you're going to do it,' passenger Puu added. 'I was more worried about the older people on the flight and so many babies, but they all got out'.

Fire officials at the scene said that five adults and two children were taken to hospital.

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Fire Chief Glenn Mitchell described the passengers' injuries as 'minor respiratory' in nature, CNN reported. 

The smoke buildup happened because 'a seal failed in the aircraft's left engine, causing oil to leak onto hot parts of the plane's engine and air conditioning pressurization system,' according to a statement released by Hawaiian Airlines. 

No oxygen masks were deployed to passengers, as the crew did not want to pump oxygen into the aircraft when there might be a fire, airline Chief Operating Officer Jon Snook told CNN. 

The crew wore smoke masks. 

The airline said that 'all other passengers and crew, who deplaned and were transported via bus to a terminal, have been reunited with their belongings'.

Airline officials issued an apology online to passengers, and thanked first responders and airport officials for their cooperation. 

Passengers will have their flights compensated and will get a voucher for a future flight, CNN reported. 

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