Frontier Airlines flight 1759 was parked Thursday at the gate at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina when it was evacuated due to a strong odor.
The crew of the plane, an Airbus A321, reported the smell of smoke, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“As a matter of precaution, the captain issued an evacuation notice. … Initial reports indicate that no visible smoke or fire was observed. All passengers will be re-accommodated on alternate flights,” Frontier Airlines told Fox Business in a statement.
The plane was close to taking off when the evacuation was ordered.
“An error message came up, and they were waiting for maintenance to clear it. Didn’t think it would be a big deal, and then we would take off. Five minutes later, announcements started going off and the lights started flickering to ‘Evacuate, evacuate now,’” passenger Michelle Satterley told WSOC-TV.
The 226 passengers on board, originally slated to fly to Orlando, Florida, were evacuated. While passengers in the front got off via the jet bridge, passengers in the back were let off via inflated slides.
One person was hospitalized after incurring minor injuries in a fall while going down the slide according to WSOC-TV.
The FAA is continuing to investigate the incident. Frontier Airlines told WSOC-TV that maintenance is working to find the ultimate source of the smoke-like odor.