Passengers Hurt In Slide Evacuation

American Airlines has determined oil residue heated by an engine caused Flight 31, bound from Los Angeles to Honolulu, to return to Los Angeles International Airport on August 5. The odor of the oil and a smoky haze was taken into the cabin through the air conditioning system.

"We understand that the event was unsettling for our passengers, and have reached out to our passengers individually," the airline said. "In all instances such as this, American Airlines conducts a thorough review of the events in order to learn from them. The review of the events of Flight 31 has determined that the flight crew acted appropriately in all instances onboard."

As ANN reported, the flight's return to LAX delayed the arrival of the inaugural Emirates Airbus A380 commercial flight to the west coast airport.

Eyebrows also raised when flight attendants ordered the evacuation of passengers via emergency slides... despite no apparent sign of imminent danger. As a result, several passengers were reportedly injured while egressing the plane. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating.

"American Airlines procedure allows for an evacuation when there is smoke in the cabin of an aircraft," the airline explained. "Those procedures also allow for flight attendants to initiate an evacuation. The flight attendants acted appropriately to evacuate Flight 31, and in fact, the evacuation was accomplished quickly, exactly according to procedure, and with only very minor injuries -- which are common in slide evacuations."

Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President -- Onboard Service, said the airline was "proud" of how the plane's crew handled Flight 31. "We support their action, commend their professionalism, and know that the training they participate in yearly plays a major role in handling scenarios like this."

American added its review of the incident "simply allows American Airlines to improve its processes for our customers in the future."

FMI: www.aa.gov, www.ntsb.gov