Video Shows Southwest Airlines Passengers Jumping Off Plane After Emergency Landing

Update: Monday, 3:10 a.m. EDT — In a statement to International Business Times, the Southwest Airlines said: “Flight 3562 traveling tonight from Phoenix Sky Harbor to Dallas Love Field diverted to Albuquerque International Sunport after our Crew noted an unusual odor in the cabin. The Captain declared an emergency to receive priority handling from air traffic controllers after deviating from the filed flight plan.”

This disputes earlier reports of the flight being diverted due to cabin smoke, possibly caused by an electrical fire.

The statement added there were 140 passengers onboard the plane when the incident occurred, all of whom were evacuated from the aircraft upon landing. Five passengers “requested assessment by medical personnel,” upon landing, the airlines said. It did not confirm reports of two people being rushed to the local hospital.

“Our People in Albuquerque are working to get Customers onboard another aircraft tonight to continue their journey to Dallas. The diverted aircraft will remain in Albuquerque until our Mechanics inspect and clear its return to service,” added the statement.

As soon as the flight crew announced the plane was going to make an emergency landing, fear and panic gripped the passengers. One of the passengers, Brandon Cox, shot a video of people jumping off the wing of the plane in a mad rush to exit the aircraft.

"Do we jump off the wing?" someone is heard saying in the video, while the flight crew kept stressing the urgency of the situation by yelling, "Put your phones down. This is not the time to record! Let's go!"

“I sent a couple texts out to loved ones that you just don’t really want to have to send out,” Brandon Cox said, describing his experience, the Washington Post reported. “I hit the ground really hard and was just shell-shocked that I just had to jump off the wing of an airplane.”

David Fleck, another passenger on the plane, said he was surprised to find there were no emergency slides near the exit door near the wing.

“It felt wrong when you’re up there. It was dark, cold and rainy,” he said. “It was disorienting. ‘Do I really just jump down?’”

Investigation is still going on to determine cause behind the strange odor that filled the plane.

Original story

A Southwest Airlines flight flying from Phoenix to Dallas was forced to make an emergency landing Sunday at the Albuquerque International Sunport, New Mexico.

Southwest Airlines 3562 landed at Sunport around 8 p.m. local time (10 p.m. EDT), after smoke reportedly started filling up the cabin of the plane. Although the cause of the smoke is not yet confirmed, a number of news outlets are reporting it might have been caused due to an electrical fire inside the aircraft, CBS-affiliated KRQE reported.

Firefighters rushed to the tarmac immediately after the plane landed. Passengers were carefully removed from the flight and driven to the terminal via transport buses.

The Albuquerque Fire Department tweeted two people who were onboard the flight were taken to local hospitals. The exact nature or extent of their injuries are not yet known.

The exact number of passengers present in the plane at the time of the incident has also not been revealed yet.

According to ABC affiliate KOAT, the people onboard the plane described the experience as scary. The airport officials, however, praised the flight’s crew for their smooth and professional handling of the situation.

Their thoughts were echoed by a Dallas police officer who was onboard the flight at the time.

“Just made an emergency landing in Albuquerque. @SouthwestAir flight attendants did a great job!” he tweeted.

Southwest Airlines has not released any official statement regarding the matter but said the passengers will be able to board a different plane that would take off for Dallas at 11:05 p.m. local time (1:05 a.m. EDT Monday). International Business Times has reached out to Southwest Airlines for a comment regarding the incident.

This is a developing story.