Hail smashes window of Phoenix-bound plane, pilots force land in Texas
Jun 4, 2018, 11:05 AM | Updated: 11:06 am
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
PHOENIX — An American Airlines flight bound for Phoenix was forced to make an emergency landing in Texas on Sunday after hail damaged the windshield and nose.
Flight 1897 left San Antonio but got caught in severe weather over New Mexico. One of the pilots said he could barely see through the windshield.
The plane was in the air for two hours before it was diverted south to El Paso, where it landed safely.
Turbulence was severe enough that some passengers vomited.
“We could hear the hail hitting the plane,” passenger Jesus Esparza told KENS-TV. “[The turbulence was] like a roller coaster.
“…I’m just glad we’re on the ground.”
A spokesman for the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said Monday that the plane was awaiting repairs for damage to the nose, windshield panels and a cockpit side window.
He said the engines, including the fan blades, were not damaged.
The 130 passengers and crew of five were put on another plane and landed in Phoenix hours later. No one was injured.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
