Spirit Airlines flight from Florida to Haiti hit by gunfire while trying to land, diverts to Dominican Republic
A Spirit Airlines flight from Florida was hit by gunfire while trying to land in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Monday and diverted to the neighboring country of the Dominican Republic, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A flight attendant sustained minor injuries during the incident.
Two other flights bound for Port-au-Prince's Toussaint Louverture International Airport were diverted as a precaution, the FAA said in a statement. The airport closed following the shooting, according to the agency.
A video posted to social media appeared to show a bullet hole inside the Spirit plane near an exit in the back of the cabin. The video also shows damage to an overhead compartment above a row of seats. Photos shared by the airport where the plane landed in the Dominican Republic show what look like bullet holes on the exterior of the plane.
Spirit Airlines Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, just north of Miami, on Monday morning, bound for Port-au-Prince.
According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the flight flew over parts of Haiti and circled around Port-au-Prince. The Airbus A320 was over a neighborhood about 550 feet off the ground when it began to quickly climb and diverted to Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
"The decision to get out of there, I think that was a very solid decision," said Robert Sumwalt, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and a CBS News transportation safety expert and analyst.
The flight landed safely, according to Spirit. The airport said 48 passengers were on the flight. In Santiago, the aircraft was inspected, and damage consistent with gunfire was found, the airline said.
A flight attendants union, the Association of Flight Attendants, confirmed to CBS News that a flight attendant on the plane sustained 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 Monday it was aware of "gang-led efforts" to block travel to and from the capital that may include "armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports."
"The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous," the embassy said. "Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk. The U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety traveling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel. You should consider your personal security situation before traveling anywhere in Haiti."
Sumwalt said it's important for carriers to understand incidents like Monday's can happen at some of their destinations.
"Airlines really need to make sure that they understand that these sorts of things can happen in some of these countries where we have political unrest, where we have violence," Sumwalt said.
Spirit said the plane involved in Monday's incident was taken out of service. The airline was making arrangements for a different plane to take the passengers and crew back to Fort Lauderdale on Monday.
Following the incident, Spirit and other airlines suspended service to Haiti.
Spirit said its service at Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien in northern Haiti was suspended "pending further evaluation."
JetBlue said Monday night it discovered one of its planes had also been hit by gunfire.
"JetBlue flight 634 from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, landed safely at New York's JFK Airport. While no issues were initially reported by the operating crew, a post-flight inspection later identified that the aircraft's exterior had been struck by a bullet."
JetBlue canceled its flights to and from Haiti through Dec. 2. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our plans as necessary," the carrier said in a statement.
American Airlines said it was suspending flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince through Thursday. "We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and will adjust our operation as needed," the airline said in a statement.
