Emergency Declared on Delta Flight—Passengers Panic as Smoke Takes Over [WATCH]

Passengers aboard a Delta Air Lines flight were forced to evacuate after smoke filled the cabin shortly after takeoff from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Delta Air Lines Flight 876 departed Atlanta en route to Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina before the crew detected possible smoke in the flight deck.

“Delta Air Lines Flight 876 returned safely to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 9 a.m. local time on Monday, February 24, after the crew reported possible smoke in the flightdeck,” the FAA said in a statement.

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The aircraft, a Boeing 717-200, was carrying 94 passengers, two pilots, and three flight attendants.

Crew members observed a haze inside the cabin shortly after departure and declared an emergency to receive priority handling from air traffic control.

“The flight crew followed procedures to return to Atlanta when a haze inside the aircraft was observed after departure,” a Delta spokesperson said.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, and we apologize to our customers for the experience.”

BREAKING: Delta passengers were forced to evacuate via emergency slides at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport after smoke filled the cabin.

The plane returned to Atlanta and landed safely. No injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/ngui87yJSz

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Once the aircraft landed, passengers evacuated using the emergency slides. Some used clothing to cover their faces as smoke filled the cabin, according to video footage shared with 11 Alive.

Delta stated that customers were transported back to the terminal via ground transportation and that efforts were underway to rebook them on other flights.

An airport spokesperson told ABC News that the incident had a “moderate impact to operations.”

The emergency evacuation in Atlanta comes just days after Delta offered $30,000 to passengers on board a separate flight that crashed and flipped upside down in Toronto on February 17.

Flight 1091, which departed from Minneapolis, encountered heavy winds while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, causing the aircraft to lose control.

The plane burst into flames upon impact, and a wing snapped, flipping the aircraft upside down.

A total of 76 passengers and four crew members were on board at the time of the crash. Despite the severity of the accident, all passengers survived, with 21 taken to hospitals for treatment.

Investigations into the crash are ongoing, with officials from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the FAA working together to determine the cause.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian defended the airline’s pilots, stating that they are highly trained for difficult conditions.

“All these pilots train for these conditions. They fly under all kinds of conditions at all of the airports in which we operate,” Bastian told CBS News on Wednesday.

“So, no, there’s nothing specific with respect to experience that I’d look to.”

Shocking images from the scene showed the aircraft overturned on an ice-covered runway, with first responders working to assist passengers. Audio from air traffic control captured the urgency of the situation.

At approximately 2:13 p.m. on February 17, one air traffic controller was heard stating, “This airplane has just crashed.”

A Medevac helicopter responding to the scene confirmed the severity of the incident.

“Just so you’re aware, there’s people also walking around the aircraft there,” one responder said.

“Yeah, we’ve got it,” another responded. “The aircraft is upside down and burning.”

Passengers recounted the terrifying experience, describing how they were left suspended upside down in their seats.

Pete Koukov, a passenger on the flight, recalled the moment he realized what had happened.

“We hit the ground, and we were sideways, and then we were upside down hanging like bats,” Koukov said.

He added that he was grateful to have survived.

“Just feeling lucky and happy I got to give the person I didn’t know sitting next to me a big hug, that we were OK, and see my friends who are here to pick me up from the airport and give them a big hug.”

Both incidents highlight ongoing safety challenges in air travel, with investigations underway to determine what led to the Toronto crash and the in-flight smoke emergency in Atlanta.

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