Luggage Fell From ASA Plane Near MDW

Here's one high-flying story of lost luggage, that has a sort-of happy ending. A nine-year-old girl will soon have a new doll, after the suitcase carrying her "American Girl" doll fell out of a Delta Connection airliner over South Chicago Sunday morning.

We'll repeat that: the suitcase fell out of an Atlantic Southeast Airlines regional jet (thus adding yet another checkmark to that carrier's storied reputation--Ed.) ASA spokeswoman Kate Modolo told the Orlando Sentinel the CRJ700 was cleared for departure from Chicago Midway, despite a problem with the cargo door indicator light.

It would appear that may have been a poor decision. According to the FAA Preliminary Report, the plane's cargo door blew out shortly after takeoff... tossing several suitcases, one of them Abby Ann Telan's doll-toting duffel bag, into the nighttime sky.

The Orlando-area fourth-grader says the incident made her "feel sad and scared." After several worrisome minutes inflight -- in which passengers prayed openly over "awful, metal banging sounds," in the words of Abby Ann's father, Patrick -- the stricken CRJ landed back at MDW.

"I don't know where she landed or if she is OK," she said of her doll, Marisol Luna, which is no longer in regular production by the American Girl company.

Like we said, though, this particular story has something resembling a happy ending. Several Chicago Tribune readers and their children offered to donate their own Marisol Luna dolls to Abby Ann. Her father, Patrick Telan, said American Girl is sending the little girl a brand-new one.

No word yet on when other passengers whose luggage also inadvertantly took flight will get their possession returned, though.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: ACQ718        Make/Model: CRJ2      Description: CANADAIR CRJ-200, RJ-200 REGIONAL JET
  Date: 10/21/2007     Time: 1545

  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: CHICAGO   State: IL   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  DELTA CONNECTION FLIGHT 4718, A CANADAIR CRJ-200 AIRCRAFT, ON DEPARTURE,
  EXPERIENCED A CABIN PRESSURE PROBLEM AND RETURNED TO LAND, IT WAS
  DETERMINED THAT A BAGGAGE DOOR BLEW OFF SPILLING TWO BAGS ONTO THE GROUND,
  NO INJURIES REPORTED, CHICAGO, IL

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Business      Phase: Take-off      Operation: Air Carrier

  FAA FSDO: WEST CHICAGO, IL  (GL03)              Entry date: 10/22/2007

FMI: www.flyasa.com, www.americangirl.com