Officials said smoke was seen coming from an American Airlines jet in North Carolina, the plane was evacuated and a flight attendant was taken to a nearby hospital.
The plane was about to take off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport for Columbia, South Carolina, early Thursday morning when reports of smoke caused all 50 passengers and three crew members to make an emergency exit. The Charlotte Observer reported.
The flight attendant was taken to hospital for precautionary tests, but no serious injuries were reported, the paper said.
It was not immediately clear how the employee was injured.
The Charlotte Fire Department responded to clear the scene and the plane was then towed to the gate for inspection by a maintenance team, the report said.
The flight departed for Colombia on a replacement plane, the newspaper reported. FlightAware data shows the departure was delayed by about three hours.
American Airlines said in a statement that the flight, operated by Piedmont Airlines, reported a mechanical issue and apologized for the anxiety caused to passengers.
“We do not wish to disrupt your travel plans in any way and apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the airline said in a statement.
