Chicago (WLS) — It’s the smoky, false start of a cross-country flight.
A cellphone video taken from inside a Seattle-bound flight at O’Hare on Monday afternoon shows smoke pouring from the area near the wing of United Flight 2091, an Airbus 320.
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United says the plane overran the runway and was grounded before takeoff due to engine trouble. Airport operations were temporarily halted immediately, with incoming flights hovering overhead.
Carmen Hernandez was trying to get home from Nashville.
“We were on the air and they said, ‘Sorry for the delay. You’re going to be a little late because there’s an emergency in Chicago,'” Hernandez said.
An emergency description without further detail, he says, is more worrying.
“We were scared. The lady next to me said, ‘Do you know what’s going on?’ I said, ‘No, they didn’t say anything, but the pilot is a little nervous,’ but he didn’t tell us anything,” Hernandez said.
United says the smoky plane was towed back to the gate and passengers were disembarked. In short order, operations resumed so that homebound holiday travelers could return from a busy long weekend.
While mostly on-time and early landing arrivals are on board, not all flights go so smoothly.
“It was crazy, it was crazy, it was crazy coming back, let’s just say that,” said Shavin Rodney, who traveled back to Chicago on Monday.
The TSA had overestimated. The agency says it screened nearly 3 million passengers nationwide on Friday, marking a new all-time record.
Tornadoes and thunderstorms across large parts of the country made crowded air travel more complicated and the holiday weekend trek to Chicago a little more stressful than some travelers were prepared for.
“The storm sent everyone back to all the major cities,” said Olivia Lackey, who returned to Chicago Monday.
“At the end of the day it’s worth it, but if you’re concerned, I wouldn’t recommend traveling at this time,” added Shavin’s Rodney.
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