American Airlines passengers tell of mid-air scare after seven people mysteriously taken ill on flight

The scene at Heathrow as the plane landed
Lee Gunn
Ben Morgan28 January 2016

Travellers today described the moment a female flight attendant collapsed and at least seven other people were taken ill during a mid-air drama over the Atlantic.

The American Airlines flight left Heathrow at 12.05pm yesterday but two hours into the 5,500-mile flight when eight people were suddenly taken ill.

The Boeing 777-300, carrying hundreds of travellers, was over south-west Iceland when it was forced to return to London after the captain declared a “medical emergency”.

Travel agent Lee Gunn, 23, was onboard flight AA109 when the captain asked: “Is there a doctor on board?”

Safety checks: A man in hi-vis gear boards the plane after it returned to Heathrow and speaks to a passenger (Picture: Eric Winter)
Eric Winter

Mr Gunn said: “We were just south of Reykjavik and the cabin crew had completed collecting the meals.

“I was settling down to sleep when an announcement came over the tannoy asking for any medical personnel to go to the boarding door. It all went downhill from there.”

Mr Gunn added: “About 20 minutes later they said we were diverting back to Heathrow, which took about two-and-a-half hours. American Airlines said it was for the passengers’ convenience.

“The captain said several crew and passengers were feeling unwell with equilibrium. I know there was one female crew member and one female passenger affected.

Emergency vehicles gather around the grounded aircraft (Picture: Eric Winter)
Eric Winter

“The cabinet crew were back and forth to the flight deck to ask the captain what he was going to do.”

Equilibrium loss during air travel occurs when the air pressure in the middle ear fluctuates due to a change in altitude or imbalance in cabin air pressure.

The airline confirmed a “medical emergency” prompted the captain to turn around and the plane arrived at Heathrow at around 5pm where it was greeted by paramedics, fire crews and police.

Passengers were not allowed to disembark, or paramedics allowed on to treat those unwell, until tests had been carried out for any ‘elevated levels of substances’ in the cabin air.

All luggage was then confiscated for ‘checks’ by American Airlines and Heathrow authorities.

At least one member of the cabin crew collapsed in the aisle between the seats. Mr Gunn said all those affected were conscious when they landed at Heathrow.

Mr Gunn said: “I did not see them getting taken off the plane but they were all conscious. The flight crew had to check the cabin pressure before the paramedics boarded to make sure it was safe.

“There was a conversation on the plane that it was seven members of the crew .”

All the passengers on the plane were bussed to hotels near the airport for the night and were today expected to board American Airlines or British Airways flights to LAX.

The passengers’ luggage was kept by the airline for “security checks” after the mid-air drama unfolded.

Medical emergency: The flight got as far as Iceland before it was turned around and brought back to the UK (Picture: Eric Winter)
Eric Winter

Mr Gunn added: “We have not been allowed to collect our luggage. From talking to other passengers, it was kept back for screening and testing.

“We were given a number [by AA] to call to find out when we could fly out. I’m on the same AA109 today, so I hope it’s not jinxed.”

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said a specialist team had carried out tests for “elevated levels of any substances” but none were found.

He added: “Everything was checked and tested but there were no readings for any substances of any sort that may have been a problem.”

American Airlines confirmed the plane had turned around after a medical emergency and that it was not security-related.

A spokesman added: “We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience to their travel plans.”

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