no way Spirit Airlines A plane was hit by gunfire as it was about to take off in Florida. HaitiThe Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it departed from the capital Port-au-Prince and diverted to the neighboring country of the Dominican Republic. One crew member suffered minor injuries in this accident.
Two other flights bound for Port-au-Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport were diverted as a precaution, the FAA said in a statement. According to the agency, the airport was closed after the shooting.
Video posted on social media showed a bullet hole near the rear exit of the Spirit plane’s cabin. The video also shows damage to the overhead bins above the rows of seats. Photos shared from the airport where the plane landed in the Dominican Republic show what appear to be bullet holes on the exterior of the plane.
Spirit Airlines Flight 951 took off Monday morning for Port-au-Prince from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, just north of Miami.
The plane flew over parts of Haiti and circled around Port-au-Prince, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24. The Airbus A320 began climbing rapidly about 550 feet off the ground and diverted toward Qibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
“I think the decision to get out there was a very solid decision,” said Robert Sumwalt, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and a transportation safety expert and analyst for CBS News.
Handouts provided at Cibao International Airport
The plane landed safely, according to Spirit. The airport said there were 48 passengers on the plane. In Santiago, the aircraft was inspected and found to have damage consistent with gunfire, the airline said.
The Association of Flight Attendants confirmed to CBS News that a flight attendant on board the plane suffered minor injuries from debris during the incident. No passenger injuries were reported, according to Spirit.
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince said in a security alert on Monday that it was aware of “gang-led efforts” to block travel to and from the capital, which “could include armed violence and disruption of roads, ports and airports.”
“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” the embassy said. “Travel within Haiti is undertaken at your own risk. The U.S. Government cannot guarantee your safety at the airport, during your travel to the border, or during future travel. You should consider your personal security situation before traveling to Haiti.”
Sumwalt said it’s important for airlines to understand that incidents like Monday’s can happen in some destinations.
“Airlines need to make sure they understand that this kind of thing can happen in some countries where there is political unrest and violence occurs,” Sumwalt said.
Spirit said Monday the plane involved in the incident has been taken out of service. The airline was preparing another plane to carry passengers and crew. Back to Fort Lauderdale On Monday.
After the incident, Spirit and other airlines suspended flights to Haiti.
Spirit said its services in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien, in northern Haiti, were suspended “pending further evaluation.”
JetBlue said it discovered one of its planes had been hit by gunfire Monday night.
“JetBlue Flight 935 from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, landed safely at JFK Airport in New York. Initially, the flight crew reported no problems, but a post-flight inspection later determined that the exterior of the aircraft had been struck by a bullet.”
JetBlue has canceled flights to and from Haiti through December 2. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our plans as necessary,” the airline said in a statement.
American Airlines said it was suspending flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince until Thursday. “We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust operations as necessary, with safety and security as our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.
Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report.
