Five people have been taken to the hospital after reports of fumes on an American Airlines flight from Orlando to Phoenix. Four flight attendants and one passenger were transported to a nearby hospital out of precaution.

Having reported an odor onboard, the aircraft diverted safely to Houston. This is the latest concerning incident amid a rise in reports of toxic fumes on commercial planes.

American Flight Diverts To Houston After Cabin Fumes

As first reported by KHOU 11, on Sunday, November 23, American Airlines Flight 2118 from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) was cruising over the Gulf of America when it reported a fume event. The flight was operated by a 10-year-old Airbus A321-200 (N139AN), which can seat up to 190 passengers. Data from Flightradar24 shows the A321 turned towards Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), where it made a safe landing approximately three hours and 30 minutes after departing Florida.

The FAA has confirmed it is investigating, stating that the flight crew « reported fumes in the flight deck and cabin. » As it stands, there has been no update on the condition of those transported to the hospital. Simple Flying has reached out to American Airlines for comment and will update this story accordingly.

Audio captured from air traffic control (ATC) communication reveals that the flight crew reported an odor onboard the aircraft before calling for emergency responders at Houston. One of the pilots was heard saying,

« I’m gonna have some transports here out of the airport on this. I’m gonna need probably 4 transport units. »

How Serious Are Fume Events?

Fume events are one of the more common reasons for an aircraft to divert, and can have varying levels of severity. If a strong and persistent odor is detected, pilots will typically land the plane as soon as possible out of precaution because of the known impact of prolonged fume inhalation. The health effects of inhaling toxic fumes can be very serious, ranging from nausea, vomiting, impaired thinking, and even loss of consciousness.

These harmful events occur when engine oil, hydraulic fluid or other contaminants seep into the cabin’s bleed-air, leading to flight crew or passengers inhaling toxic fumes for a prolonged period of time. While passengers and crew are always exposed to very low levels of these fumes, it is usually the flight crew that suffer the most adverse response to fume events. Many flight attendants have reported debilitating symptoms either on the job or at home, with extended exposure even leading to permanent neurological damage.

According to a study in the Medical Independent, the reason why flight crew have a stronger reaction during fume events compared to passengers is believed to be their « pre-exposure to thousands of hours of low-dose inhalation of engine bleed air, » which increases vulnerability during single, high-dose events.

Industry Tackles Rising Fume Events

A recent Wall Street Journal investigation found that fume events are becoming increasingly common, with passengers and aircrew reporting falling ill more often. This is particularly true of pilots and flight attendants, and the industry currently has little guidance for the health side of fume events.

With these events posing a considerable concern to flight safety, Airbus has been working on a fix for its aircraft, including introducing enhanced engine oil seals and air con filtration on newly-built A320neos.

The Airbus A320 is an aircraft type that has been involved in many fume events, with Simple Flying reporting that A320 fume events are seven times higher than the Boeing 737. Only last month, an American Airlines flight out of Los Angeles, also operated by an A321, turned back after toxic fumes were reported onboard.