Jetliner evacuated in New York after smoke reported

Flight 197 to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, had 228 passengers and seven crew members

PHOTO: REUTERS

Passengers and crew on a Spirit Airlines jetliner parked at a gate at New York's LaGuardia Airport in preparation for a flight to Florida were evacuated on Saturday after a report of possible smoke in the aircraft, an airports authority spokesperson said.

Firefighters responding to a call from the pilot found no visible smoke, said Cheryl Albiez, spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

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"Everyone was accounted for, there were no injuries nor further incidents," Albiez said.


The plane, Flight 197 to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, had 228 passengers and seven crew members and never left the gate for its scheduled 10:59 a.m. departure, Albiez said.

Spirit Airlines spokesperson Stephen Schuler said in a statement that there were reported sparks in the plane's auxiliary power unit, a generator that provides electricity to the plane while on the ground.

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The unit automatically detected the problem and turned itself off, Schuler said. A maintenance crew was doing safety checks before clearing the plane for takeoff, he said.

Passengers were being accommodated on other aircraft if they preferred, he said.
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