Steve Hanna knows planes well and he knew immediately something was wrong with the one he saw in the air this afternoon over Dallas. Steve Hanna says, "As it took off I watched it come across Bachman Lake to the north and I noticed that was something that was flapping off the left wing near the fuselage. It literally looked like streamers or something like a float. And as we watched it, it continued to ascend and then all of a sudden it came off."
It was a piece off an Airbus A319. The privately owned aircraft was at Associated Air Center at Love Field. A spokesperson for the company that owns Associated Air Center says the plane was on a test flight this afternoon when the emergency slide came off after takeoff. The FAA continues to investigate tonight, but says preliminarily it looks like the compartment door that held that slide came open. It also came off the plane and fell to the ground. Steve Hanna says, "It's not something you see everyday when a plane takes off from the airport." Hanna called 911. Dallas police say they assisted in the search for parts.
Kortney Carter was "a little nervous" after we told her about the incident. She stopped by Love Field this afternoon to watch planes before boarding a flight. She says, "You hear about something before boarding a flight it can be unnerving."
The FAA said late tonight, the plane's compartment door landed on airport property and has been recovered. The slide has not. The part Steve Hanna saw fell with a mission. He says, "It was pretty much straight drop. It didn't flutter around like a kite or something like that. My initial thought was that it was a piece of debris that got hung up on the plane as it rotated out, but it was obviously a piece of something."
No injuries were reported. A Love Field spokesperson says airport operations today were not disrupted. They had emergency personnel on standby and checked the runway following the incident..
It was a piece off an Airbus A319. The privately owned aircraft was at Associated Air Center at Love Field. A spokesperson for the company that owns Associated Air Center says the plane was on a test flight this afternoon when the emergency slide came off after takeoff. The FAA continues to investigate tonight, but says preliminarily it looks like the compartment door that held that slide came open. It also came off the plane and fell to the ground. Steve Hanna says, "It's not something you see everyday when a plane takes off from the airport." Hanna called 911. Dallas police say they assisted in the search for parts.
Kortney Carter was "a little nervous" after we told her about the incident. She stopped by Love Field this afternoon to watch planes before boarding a flight. She says, "You hear about something before boarding a flight it can be unnerving."
The FAA said late tonight, the plane's compartment door landed on airport property and has been recovered. The slide has not. The part Steve Hanna saw fell with a mission. He says, "It was pretty much straight drop. It didn't flutter around like a kite or something like that. My initial thought was that it was a piece of debris that got hung up on the plane as it rotated out, but it was obviously a piece of something."
No injuries were reported. A Love Field spokesperson says airport operations today were not disrupted. They had emergency personnel on standby and checked the runway following the incident..
