Hawaiian Airlines blames faulty seal for smoke in cabin that forced emergency evacuation

UPDATE:

8:04 p.m.

Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement tonight it was determined that “a seal failed in the aircraft’s left engine, causing oil to leak onto hot parts of the plane’s engine and air conditioning pressurization system, resulting in smoke in the cabin.” The airline said performance of the engine was not affected.

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Passengers on a Hawaiian Airlines flight had to evacuate the plane from emergency slides this morning after it landed in Honolulu due to reports of smoke in the cargo hold and cabin.

All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft and seven passengers were taken to hospitals with smoke inhalation symptoms, according to an airline official.

First responders met flight Hawaiian Airlines Flight 47, which had concluded a flight from Oakland, Calif., to Honolulu, on the runway at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Hawaiian Airlines said there were 184 passengers and seven crew aboard the plane, which landed at 11:36 a.m. shortly after an in-flight emergency was declared due to reports of smoke in the cargo hold and cabin.

“At this time, we are aware of seven passengers who were transported to local hospitals due to smoke-related symptoms,” Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement. “All other passengers and crew have deplaned and have been transported via bus to a terminal. We sincerely apologize to our passengers for this incident and thank them for their cooperation in the evacuation. We are working with airport officials and first responders to support our passengers and respond to this event.”

State Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said no smoke or fire was visible from the outside when the plane landed.

The Airbus 321 plane landed safely on Runway 4R at Honolulu, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and passengers deplaned on the runway.

The FAA said it will investigate the incident.