- A strange smell forced an Alaska Airlines flight to divert on Tuesday.
- The flight crew was medically evaluated at the airport and taken to a hospital for further evaluation.
- No passengers reported any symptoms and the airline says the cause of the odor is being investigated.
Alaska Airlines pilots and flight attendants were taken to the hospital Tuesday as a precaution after a suspicious odor forced pilots to turn the plane around.
Alaska Flight 1506 returned to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport less than an hour after it originally departed for Orange County, California, according to data from FlightAware.
A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines confirmed the incident to Business Insider and provided the following statement:
Alaska Airlines Flight 1506, an Airbus aircraft, departed Sea-Tac for Orange County/Santa Ana at 9:06 a.m. During the flight, the crew reported a cabin odor. As a precaution, the aircraft returned to Sea-Tac at 9:40 a.m.
The pilots and flight attendants received a medical evaluation at the airport, and were then transported to the hospital for further evaluation. No passengers were affected or reported any symptoms. The cause of the odor is being investigated.
The flight was canceled, and those passengers booked on other flights.
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