A Delta Air Lines flight headed to the Washington DC area was diverted on Wednesday due to a reported odor in the flight deck. Around 40 minutes after takeoff, the pilot noticed the foul smell. The aircraft, at that time, was at 31,000 feet traveling at 580 miles per hour. After consulting with air traffic control, the crew decided to divert to the nearest airport, Raleigh-Durham (RDU).
Source of Odor Not Determined
A Delta spokesperson confirmed that Flight 850 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was diverted to North Carolina at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport due to odor. Carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, Delta confirmed that no one was injured.
The airline said, “Safety is always our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels.”
The Federal Aviation Administration investigated the incident. The agency released a statement confirming the safe landing of Flight 850. The FAA said, “Delta Air Lines Flight 850 landed safely at Raleigh-Durham International Airport around 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday.”
Delta provided options for its passengers to either rebook a later flight to Washington or wait for a direct flight to Reagan National.
Passengers and crew deplaned and boarded a new aircraft. The replacement plane landed at Reagan National at 10:04 p.m. in Washington. However, the airline hasn’t confirmed the source of the odor. It is still unclear whether the odor came from leaky pipes, caused by technical problems, or elsewhere.
Similar Cases of Fumes on Aircraft
This isn’t an isolated case. In recent months, other Delta flights have also been diverted due to fumes or foul odor. The week before, a Delta flight from Fort Lauderdale was diverted due to fumes in the cockpit. In September, another Delta flight en route to New York experienced a similar problem.
Industry experts believe that the possible causes of these odors could come from the engine or defective air conditioning.