SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what went wrong when a Frontier flight made an emergency landing in Las Vegas, which took off from San Diego on Saturday.
ABC 10 News Anchor Aaron Dickens spoke with a woman who said she smelled smoke and was on that flight.
She lives in the Normal Heights area, just about 10 minutes from San Diego International Airport. She said it was the first time she flew Frontier, and it will be the last.
"This was a horrible experience. Things can happen. But this was not handled right," said Eydie Kaufman.
Kaufman said she was among the 190 passengers on the Frontier flight. It took off from San Diego International on Saturday afternoon, heading to Vegas.
Kaufman said she started smelling smoke.
"I had my mask on to try to help cut out the smoke. As we started our descent, the plane was moving a lot, in a way that did not feel normal," she said.
This video captured the plane landing. You can see the flames and smoke on the outside. On the inside, Kaufman said flight attendants were asked if something was wrong on the plane.
"They didn't tell us anything. They said everything was fine. Get in your seats. They were not managing the situation. They were not helping us. They wanted us to just stop talking about it," said Kaufman.
The FAA said there was a fire in the plane's right engine. After it landed, emergency crews put out the flames. After 20 minutes, Kaufman said she got off the plane and was taken to the terminal.
"We went in. There was a baggage handler standing there with a neon vest. I said, 'Where is the manager or supervisor? How do we make a claim or get a refund?' He was like, 'I don't know,'" said Kaufman.
Kaufman said she is still evaluating all her options, including whether she will ever fly again.
Kaufman said the airline gave her a refund after she contacted their media relations department.
Frontier released a statement in part:
"The pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency. The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew were evacuated. No injuries were reported. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation."
