One hurt during emergency plane evacuation at Charlotte Douglas

CHARLOTTE — A Frontier plane was evacuated before taking off due to a strong odor Thursday morning.

Passengers told Channel 9 that flight 1759 was heading to Orlando. However, before the plane left the gate, passengers were told to evacuate.

A spokesperson for Frontier said the captain issued an evacuation notice due to a strong smell on board.

All 266 passengers then exited the plane using the jet bridge and emergency slides.

According to MEDIC, one person was hurt while going down the slide and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

A spokesperson for Frontier said maintenance is still working to figure out what caused the smell.

Channel 9 spoke with a passenger about how exactly things happened.

“An error message came up, and they were waiting for maintenance to clear it. Didn’t think it would be a big deal, and then we would take off. 5 minutes later, announcements started going off and the lights started flickering to ‘Evacuate, evacuate now,’” said passenger Michelle Satterley.

The Coxton family, with their matching Mickey Mouse shirts and packed suitcases, said they were on their way to Disney World for spring break.

Shayla Coxton told Channel 9 that she had to console her crying daughter as her husband and son were evacuated on the other side of the plane.

“In that moment, fight or flight. I saw a few people panicking around me, and I immediately said we got to keep everybody calm because if there’s a stampede, someone’s gonna get hurt,” Coxton explained.

She said that, as the chaos continued, she was first told that another plane was coming. That eventually turned into there were no other flights available, so they decided to drive and try to salvage their vacation.

“Sometimes you just thank God for keeping us still and, you know, keeping us grounded and finding the silver lining in it all,” Coxton expressed.

Frontier said they will handle the investigation into the smell for now. They said they would also report the incident to federal authorities.

The airline also said it would be giving passengers $200 vouchers towards their next flight. It also offered hotel accommodations for anyone stuck in Charlotte.

This is a developing story; check wsoctv.com for updates.

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