Stink On U.S. Airways Plane Caused By Exhaust Fumes

Remember that funny-smelling U.S. Airways plane that sent passengers and crew to the hospital for the third time in less than three months? Well, the FAA thinks they know what was behind the most recent incident — exhaust fumes.

The plane didn’t even make to the runway in Charlotte, NC, the other day when two passengers and seven crew members aboard a Jamaica-bound flight noticed a bizarre odor and began to feel ill shortly after pushing back from the gate.

According to the FAA, there were faulty seals on the rear doors of the Boeing 767. And a strong tailwind on the tarmac caused exhaust fumes from the engines to infiltrate the cabin.

The plane is once again grounded until this latest problem is fixed.

This is the same jet that was grounded in late December after crew members suffered ill effects from a hydraulic fluid leak. And then on Jan. 16, 8 passengers and 7 crew members on same plane fell sick during a flight from the US Virgin Islands to Charlotte. That incident was blamed on a fuel leak.

Despite all of this, a rep for The U.S. Airline Pilots Association says it’s not yet time to throw in the towel on this particular plane: “There may be a time in the future that we say we don’t want to fly the airplane anymore, but we’re not there yet,” he said.

FAA: Exhaust fumes leaked into US Airways plane [Charlotte Observer]

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