CHICAGO — A United Airlines flight headed to O’Hare International Airport made a frightening emergency return to St. Louis on Tuesday morning after a lavatory smoke warning triggered evacuation procedures and passenger panic midair.
The incident occurred aboard GoJet Airlines Flight 4423, a regional service operated on behalf of United. Shortly after takeoff from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, the crew alerted passengers that they would be returning due to possible smoke on board.
“Brace for Impact”: Passenger Describes Terrifying Moments
One of the passengers, Dominic Gagliardotto of Palatine, shared video footage showing the tense moments as the plane prepared for landing and passengers evacuated down emergency stairs.
“It didn’t really hit until they started talking about, ‘when we tell you to brace for impact, put your head down between your legs,’” Gagliardotto told ABC7 Chicago. “And when they said that I texted my daughter, telling her I’ll always love her.”
Following the emergency landing, firefighters were seen helping passengers disembark safely, and the airport transported everyone back to the terminal for rebooking and reassessment.
Flight Diverted, Then Rebooked with New Aircraft
According to a statement issued by GoJet Airlines, the flight crew returned the plane to the gate out of an abundance of caution:
“GoJet Airlines Flight 4423 from St. Louis Lambert to Chicago O’Hare returned to St. Louis this morning shortly after takeoff after the crew reported a lavatory smoke warning. The aircraft landed safely… and we arranged for a different aircraft to take our customers to Chicago, and the flight has since departed.”
Although many passengers reboarded the replacement aircraft hours later, Gagliardotto said he opted to drive back to Chicago rather than fly again that day.
FAA Launches Investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it is launching an investigation into the incident. The FAA stated that the CRJ-700 jet landed safely around 6:40 a.m., and there were no reports of injuries.
“The crew reported possible smoke in the aircraft. The FAA will investigate,” the agency said in its statement.
No further details have been released about what may have triggered the smoke warning or whether an actual fire was detected.
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