A Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after smoke filled the cabin shortly after takeoff.
Delta Flight 896, operated by a Boeing 717-200 with the registration N942AT, departed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) just after 8:45a local time bound for Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE). Shortly after takeoff, smoke began to fill the cabin of the 25 year old aircraft and the crew was forced to return to Atlanta.
The aircraft landed without incident though the plane did have to be evacuated using emergency slides on the ground in Atlanta. The tail slide on the Boeing 717 was also deployed after the rear cone was separated from the fuselage.
There were 99 individuals onboard the aircraft at the time, 94 passengers, three flight attendants, and two pilots. The airline has not yet commented publicly on the incident but all indications are everyone onboard the aircraft is safe.
Social media posts appear to show a significant amount of smoke in the cabin and initial reports are stating that a haze developed in the flight deck before expanding to the rest of the aircraft.
On February 24, 2025, a Delta Airlines Boeing 717, which departed Atlanta for Columbia, South Carolina, at around 8:30 a.m., returned back after smoke filled the cabin mid-flight.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) February 24, 2025
The plane safely made an emergency landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and… pic.twitter.com/uB2XmMe96u
This incident comes one week after a Delta Connection flight crashed while attempting to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Six months ago the airline had another incident in Atlanta when one of its Airbus A350-900s clipped the tail of a Delta Connection CRJ-900, knocking it off.
While this is an unfortunate incident for the airline and its passengers, its worth repeating the fact that flying is still one of the safest forms of transportation available. This incident will be thoroughly investigated and any lessons learned will be used to make air travel safer.
If it wasn’t for the heightened scrutiny on commercial aviation after the collision between an Army Blackhawk helicopter and a American Eagle regional jet last month, this may not have even made the news.
Summary
A Delta Air Lines Boeing 717-200 was forced to make an emergency landing after smoke filled the cabin shortly after take off. The flight between Atlanta and Columbia, SC was able to safely return to the airport where all passengers were evacuated.
Delta hasn’t released an official statement on the incident but all 99 passengers and crew appear to be okay. Once Delta provides an update, we will have that reflected here.