Cargo and charter airline Atlas Air confirmed that a flight operated by Boeing 747 made an emergency landing on Monday. The charter flight originated in Topeka, Kansas, and was bound for Europe but diverted to Chicago O'Hare International Airport after being airborne for less than an hour.

Details of the incident

According to a statement from the airline, pilots declared an emergency after being concerned about the aircraft's cargo area.

“We can confirm that Flight 5Y8380 landed safely after receiving an indication of a potential abnormality in the cargo compartment soon after departure from Topeka, Kansas (FOE). The crew followed all standard procedures and safely diverted to Chicago, Illinois (ORD).

Data from Flight Aware indicates the flight operated as US Transportation Command 517 and departed Topeka Regional Airport at 14:51. The 747-400 reached a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet before descending and making a final approach at O'Hare Airport, landing safely on runway 28C at 15:49.

The flight was carrying US military personnel to Poznan, Poland. According to ABC 7 Chicago, the soldiers were part of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat team heading from Fort Riley, Kansas, to Poland to assist NATO troops.

Emergency evacuation

The plane remained parked on the runway as emergency vehicles rushed to assist, and passengers used a ramp to evacuate the aircraft. Shortly after, buses arrived to transport the soldiers away from the scene.

"As a precautionary measure, Chicago authorities inspected the aircraft upon arrival and determined the aircraft was safe for all passengers to de-plane," the airline said.

The Chicago Fire Department said more than 300 people were onboard the plane. No injuries were reported.

Flightradar24 said that smoke was detected in the aircraft's cargo compartment.

Smoke-related incidents

Inflight emergencies due to smoke have become more common over the years, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to have strict cabin air standards in place to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

According to VisionSafe, the company that created cockpit smoke displacement systems, there were 1,650 reported smoke incidents in 2017, 1,722 incidents in 2018, and 653 incidents in 2019. The company also said an average of about three incidences of smoke or fumes occur on an aircraft in the United States alone.

Simple Flying previously reported that according to Boeing, the causes of in-cabin smoke contamination include: Cabin air contaminated by engine fumes from air conditioning malfunctions, electrical equipment overheating, and areas onboard such as galleys or personal baggage igniting a fire.

At least three smoke-related incidents have impacted commercial flights this month.

Last week, a Barcelona-bound United Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Canada after smoke in the cabin. On November 8th, an Aer Lingus flight safely diverted to Daytona Beach due to smoke in the cockpit. And smoke in the cabin and cockpit of a Delta Air Lines 757 prompted an emergency landing in Albuquerque on November 1st.

Sources: ABC 7 Chicago, VisionSafe