We are hearing for the first time a pilot's plea for help inside an American Airlines flight that took off from San Antonio. The wrath of Mother Nature forced the plane to make an emergency landing Sunday night in El Paso.
No injuries were reported from the 130 passengers and five crew members, but several got sick because of the rocky ride. The turbulence was so bad one passenger told us it was like riding a roller coaster.
American Airlines flight 1897 took off from San Antonio International Airport just before 7 p.m. last night, and encountered severe storms. The hail was pounding on the aircraft it badly damaged the nose of the plane and windshield. The plane landed safely in El Paso just after eight 8 p.m.
American Airlines commends the work of the pilots.
The flight was originally headed to Phoenix, and passengers took a different plane and arrived there just before 1 a.m. Monday morning.
A spokesperson for American Airlines released the following statement:
American Airlines flight 1897, from San Antonio to Phoenix, diverted to El Paso due to damage sustained by weather in flight. The aircraft, an Airbus A319 with 130 passengers and a crew of five, landed safely at 8:03 p.m. MT. The aircraft is currently being evaluated by our maintenance team. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans, and we are sorry for the trouble this caused.
An inspection is underway on the damaged plane.
You can hear from a passenger on the flight below:
