A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Southwest Airlines diverted to Ontario, California, Saturday evening due to the “smell of smoke” in the cabin. The aircraft was briefly taken out of service, and the airline deployed a replacement aircraft to continue the flight. The occurrence plane was bound for San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) .
After inspections, emergency personnel could not determine the origin of the smoke smell, but had suspicions of where it may have come from. Flight path According to the San Francisco Chronicle , the flight was WN984, and data from Flightradar24 reveals that the aircraft is N1807U. The 737 MAX 8 departed from gate D7 at 19:20 – about 15 minutes past its scheduled pushback time of 19:05.
It taxied to runway 7L, where it was airborne about 11 minutes later at 19:31. The aircraft followed the normal east departure protocol from PHX and climbed straight out for a few minutes. Once it reached about 5,000 feet, it turned south and then west to assume its flight path.
At around 19:50, the plane had reached its cruising altitude of 38,000 feet and was heading northwest. About 20 minutes later, flight data shows the aircraft started to descend and change its course. As it flew past Victorville, N1807U turned back southeast toward the San Bernardino National Forest.
The smoke was detected in the flight deck, which resulted in the flight crew diverting to West Palm Beach. It continued its descent and passed over the Interstate 15 and 215 junction due to the terrain’s high elevation. At around 20:24, the aircraft turned west for its final approach.
It landed safely on runway 26R five minutes later at 20:29. “Faint smell of smoke” The pilots declared a general emergency onboard, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A Southwest spokesperson confirmed the incident to Simple Flying on Sunday.
"Southwest Flight 984 from Phoenix to San Francisco made a precautionary landing at Ontario International Airport in California after the Crew reported a possible faint smell of smoke in the cabin Sunday night. The aircraft was met by emergency personnel, who cleared the aircraft to taxi to the terminal after finding nothing amiss.” Despite the smell of smoke, no smoke was reportedly visible in the aircraft.
The crew followed standard safety procedures, and the pilots were given oxygen masks, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Where the smoke aroma might have come from is unclear, but officials reportedly believe the smell originated from nearby wildfires along the plane’s flight path. According to CNN , the Line Fire, which was first spotted at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, exploded in size on Saturday.
The fire has scorched over 17,200 acres and has affected around 4,800 homes. As of Saturday evening, it was 0% contained. Continuing the flight Southwest was able to continue WN984 by deploying a replacement aircraft.
“We accommodated our Customers aboard another aircraft to their intended destination of San Francisco. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the spokesperson said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees.
” The aircraft was N7876A, a 737-700. It departed from ONT at 22:31 and arrived at SFO at 23:37 – about two and a half hours after its scheduled arrival time of 21:00. A 2017 investigation had revealed a number of paid sick leave violations and preceded a 2020 settlement agreement that has now been breached.
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