Spirit Airlines flight to Latrobe returns to Orlando due to foul odor

ORLANDO — At least six people were taken to the hospital because of a bad smell on a flight headed to Latrobe.

According to Carolyn Fennell, of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Spirit Airlines Flight 878 left for Arnold Palmer Airport just after 4 p.m. Shortly after takeoff, there was a report of smoke in a cabin.

Paul Perry, a Spirit Airlines spokesperson, told Channel 11 there wasn’t any smoke, but there was a really bad smell. He said the issue was with an air conditioning pack. Sometimes a pack is filled with bad Freon, and when the air conditioning in the airplane is turned on, “a really bad smell occurs,” he said.

Steven Pucibat, of Penn Hills, was a passenger in the flight. He told Channel 11 News that the smell was terrible, like a cow pasture.

"I asked one flight attendant if they smelled something, and she said, 'No, it's normal,” Pucibat said. “We were up there about 20 minutes. We noticed the plane turning around."

The flight returned to Orlando International Airport. Emergency medical services personnel were waiting, and according to Perry, several asked to be checked out because they were worried about the origin of the odor.

The crew members drove themselves to the hospital on the advice of the union, Perry said. Another crew is being flown to Orlando to take over and fly the rest of the passengers to Latrobe.

Cox Media Group