Passengers on a flight bound for Gainesville Regional Airport received quite a scare Wednesday afternoon when they were told to prepare for an emergency landing.
American Airlines Flight 5438, which left Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at 12:15 CDT, was just minutes from landing in Gainesville when passengers were told about a potential problem.
Alan Mumford, a passenger on the flight, told The Sun in an email that the crew announced that “we would be making an emergency landing in approximately 6 minutes, please take time to review the safety card in the seat ahead of you regarding emergency evacuation of the aircraft.”
Mumford wrote that some passengers were near panic and that there were “quite a few tears about the cabin after the announcement.”
Mumford wrote that the plane was “met by the Gainesville Fire department in full force on the tarmac …”
Gainesville Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Joseph Hillhouse said his department received an Alert 2, which refers to a mechanical issue, and that they were told the plane was having problems with a hydraulic unit.
He said nine units, as is standard procedure in potential airport emergencies, responded to the call.
“Once they were on the ground we were canceled,” he said. “They actually had no issues.”
The plane — a CRJ-900 — was able to taxi to the gate under its own power.
“Everyone deplaned safely, no injuries,” said Gainesville Regional Airport Operations Manager Shaun Blevins.
Mumford wrote in his email that while he knows the captain was busy and that the crew did the best they could under the circumstances, “it would have been nice to hear that we weren’t expecting any real danger of a crash landing and were declaring an emergency landing as a precaution”
“We never heard that reassurance though, so it felt like many passengers were expecting that it could end very badly,” he wrote.
A request for comment Thursday through American Airlines’ online media portal had not been returned as of Friday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Plane declares emergency, lands safely at Gainesville Regional Airport
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