Passengers, crew evacuate safely from American Airlines flight in Denver
By Keith Coffman
DENVER, March 4 (Reuters) - Passengers and crew aboard an American Airlines flight were safely evacuated by emergency slides on Wednesday after possible smoke was detected inside the cabin after the aircraft landed at Denver International Airport, officials said.
Shortly before noon local time, the pilot of Flight 445 from Charlotte, North Carolina to Denver was alerted to reports of smoke as the plane was taxiing to a gate, American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said in a statement.
The pilot ordered the deployment of emergency chutes of the Airbus A321, which was operated by US Airways, and all 158 passengers and six crew members were safely evacuated and bused to the airport concourse, she said.
"A few customers requested to see the paramedics, but no one was taken to the hospital," Huguely said.
Denver International Airport spokeswoman Laura Coale said the incident occurred on a taxiway, and not a runway, so airport operations were unaffected.
The Denver Fire Department found no signs of a fire on the aircraft after its preliminary investigation, Coale said.
Huguely said the airline was in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Board as the agencies investigate the incident.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Peter Cooney)
