Passengers on an American Eagle flight to Philadelphia evacuated onto the runway at Lambert St Louis International Airport (STL) on Saturday after their aircraft made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff. Flight AA5089 — operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines — turned back after oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and a haze filled the cabin about 15 minutes into the flight.

The Bombardier CRJ900 landed safely in St. Louis, but passengers were forced to evacuate the plane, some of whom reportedly jumped down onto the runway from the wing. The regional jet’s departure had already been delayed by more than two hours because of an engine problem before takeoff.

Cabin Haze And Oxygen Masks Leave Passengers Fearing The Worst

Credit: Daniel L. Locke | Shutterstock

The incident happened on Saturday morning shortly after flight AA5089 departed St. Louis en route to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Soon after taking off, passengers Tessa and Mark Springer told First Alert 4 that the aircraft abruptly slowed down, followed by a loud bang and a sudden drop in altitude as oxygen masks deployed in the cabin.

The cabin then reportedly “filled with haze” before the pilots requested an emergency landing back at St. Louis. Taking off at 8:13 AM local time, the CRJ900 landed safely at 8:59 AM. Flight attendants then ordered passengers to evacuate the aircraft, with some jumping down from the wing as other passengers helped catch one another.

Passengers then waited beside the runway for transport back to the terminal. The experience onboard was frightening for many, with the Springers saying they felt they were “going to die,” before sending final messages to their loved ones. An American Airlines spokesperson said the incident was due to a “reported odor” in the cabin, telling Simple Flying:

“American Eagle flight 5089, operated by PSA Airlines, returned to St. Louis Lambert International Airport shortly after takeoff after a reported odor. The aircraft landed safely at STL and was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team.”

Grinding Noises From Engine Before Takeoff Delay

Credit: Simple Flying

The flight was scheduled to depart at 6:00 AM local time, but was delayed by more than two hours after the pilot said there was a problem starting one of the engines. Passengers said they heard a loud buzzing and grinding noise from the rear of the aircraft, which prevented the flight from taking off until 8:13 AM.

Another passenger, Olivia Clancy, told KSDK 5 On Your Side that the jet appeared to struggle with thrust shortly after takeoff and had difficulty maintaining altitude. She also shared video showing flight attendants shouting at passengers to evacuate quickly, adding that passengers were told to run once they were off the aircraft.

The aircraft involved in Saturday’s incident is registered N574NN. The 11-year-old CRJ900 can seat up to 76 passengers in two cabin classes and has six exits, with two at the front and four over the wings. It is unclear how many people were on board, and American has not explained what caused the odor or why the oxygen masks deployed. Flight tracking data shows that N574NN remains on the ground in St. Louis at the time of writing.

Passengers Criticize Handling After The Evacuation

Credit: Daniel L. Locke | Shutterstock

According to Clancy, she and her family were offered $12 each in food vouchers by American, which she called a “slap in the face.” This amount is American’s standard voucher offer for delays of three hours or more, which it calls a food and beverage credit. For its part, the airline said all affected passengers were rebooked onto flights later on Saturday.

Passengers have also questioned what had gone wrong with the aircraft before departure and why it was considered safe to fly after the engine-start problem. Clancy added that American Airlines and airport staff gave passengers little guidance on where to go after the evacuation.