US passenger plane shot at while landing in Haiti
A Spirit Airlines flight from Florida was shot at on November 11 as it attempted to land in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. It was diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. A flight attendant was slightly injured in the incident, writes CBS News.
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Two other flights bound for Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince were diverted as a precaution, the FAA said in a statement. The airport was closed after the shooting, the agency said.
Footage posted on social media showed a bullet hole inside the Spirit jet near an exit at the rear of the cabin. Video showed damage to the overhead bin above a row of seats. Photos provided by the airport where the plane landed in the Dominican Republic showed what appeared to be bullet holes in the plane's body.
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On Monday, November 11, Spirit Airlines Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, north of Miami, bound for Port-au-Prince.
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the plane flew over Haiti and circled Port-au-Prince. The Airbus A320 was hovering over the area at about 170 meters (XNUMX feet) above the ground when it began to climb rapidly and headed for Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
"The decision to get out of there, I think, was a very good one," said Robert Sumwalt, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Spirit said the plane landed safely. The airport said there were 48 passengers on board. The plane was inspected in Santiago and found damage that confirmed the vehicle had been hit by gunfire.
The flight attendants' union confirmed that their colleague flying the plane at the time of the incident suffered minor injuries from debris. There were no injuries among passengers, according to Spirit.
The US Embassy in Port-au-Prince said on November 11 that armed gunmen were attempting to block travel to and from the capital. The actions could include “armed violence causing disruption to roads, ports and airfields.”
“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” the embassy said. “Travel within the country is at your own risk. The U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety. You should consider your personal safety before traveling anywhere in Haiti.”
According to Samwalt, it is important for carriers to understand that incidents similar to the one that happened on November 11 can happen in other places. “Airlines need to be aware that such incidents are quite possible in countries where there is political unrest and violence,” Samwalt emphasized.
Spirit said the plane that was shot at on November 11 has been taken out of service. The airline has prepared another plane to fly passengers and crew back to Fort Lauderdale.
Following the incident, Spirit and other airlines suspended air service to Haiti.
Specifically, Spirit said its service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti was suspended "pending further assessment."
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On the evening of November 11, JetBlue reported that one of its planes had also been hit by gunfire.
"JetBlue Flight 935 from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, landed safely at Kennedy Airport in New York. Although the crew initially reported no problems, a post-flight inspection revealed a bullet hole in the plane's airframe."
JetBlue has canceled its flights to and from Haiti through December 2.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and update our plans as needed,” the carrier said in a statement. American Airlines said it was suspending flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince until November 14.
“We will continue to monitor the situation, keeping safety as our top priority, and will adjust our operations as necessary,” the airline said.
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