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A scheduled American Eagle flight between Washington, D.C., and Kansas City ended up requiring an emergency landing after cabin smoke was detected. The flight, operating as AA5318, had a US Congressman on board, who with all the other occupants of the aircraft, had to evacuate the plane after it was safely on the ground.
A total of 76 passengers were onboard the regional flight, and all occupants were able to get off the plane safely and evacuated onto the taxiway at Kansas City. Tracey Mann, who represents Western Kansas, was on the flight and shared his experience on Facebook.
AA5318 Declared An Emergency Landing Due To Smoke In The Cabin
AA5318 had departed from 
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on Friday, May 15, and had pushed back from the gate at 1:45 PM. The flight, which takes just over two and a half hours, touched down at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) at 3:21 PM that afternoon.
According to information from Aviation Herald, the service was operated by aircraft N616NN, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ900. The flight was nearing Kansas and had been cleared to land when the pilot came over the radio to declare an emergency landing because smoke had been detected in the cabin.
The aircraft landed safely and was taxiing off the runway before its occupants were all evacuated by the slides. There have been no reports of any injury. American Airlines shared the following statement on the flight, as per initial reports from CNN:
“The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we are sorry for their experience.”
Pilot Audio and Emergency Response at MCI
A recording from Broadcastify captured the recording of the pilot requesting the emergency landing at Kansas City, as the PSA aircraft was approximately two miles (3.2 km) from the runway, with it stating “Bluestreak 5318, declaring an emergency. We’re landing.” At this time, other incoming flights were forced to circle the airport, as the CRJ-900 was cleared for landing.
US congressman Mann was quick to capture photos and a video of the experience and posted these to social media. With evidence of all passengers standing on the apron as the aircraft was met by the airport fire service. Mann shared the following statement:
“There was smoke on our aircraft and so we landed and are now sitting on the tarmac. Really appreciate our first responders, folks from fire.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has already launched an investigation into the flight, as they look to understand what caused the smoke. Smoke on a plane is very dangerous, as it can rapidly lead to inhalation, disorientation, or in-flight fires. The pressurized cabin can trap smoke, and if there is a fire, it can quickly spread.
American Eagle Bombardier CRJ900 Evacuates In Augusta Due To Cabin Haze
All passengers were deplaned safely.
N616NN Aircraft Details
The airplane at the center of the incident, N616NN, remains on the ground at Kansas City following the incident. This aircraft is 9.4 years of age, with ch-aviation outlining the airplane having taken its first test flight back in December 2016 under Canadian registration C-GWFL. It was then delivered to CityJet in Europe under registration EI-FPJ on February 9, 2017. The plane then moved to Scandinavian Airlines on a lease from CityJet, and bore the nickname Jare Viking.
From there, it was transferred to PSA Airlines on July 8, 2022, and has operated regional flights across the United States for American Eagle since. The plane was stored briefly between July 2022 and September 2023. It is configured to carry a total of 76 passengers, with 12 in domestic first class and 64 in economy.
PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, is paid by AA to staff, operate, and maintain the regional flights. It operates a fleet of 90 CRJ900, alongside 50 CRJ700 for a total fleet of 140 aircraft. It employs more than 5,000 team members and operates around 800 daily flights for American. PSA is named after Pacific Southwest Airlines, a predecessor of American Airlines.
