Airliner Makes Emergency Landing

A Southwest Airlines plane made an emergency landing at Burbank Airport on Saturday morning after the pilot reported mysterious fumes that forced several passengers to be treated for irritation in their eyes and throats, an airline spokesman said.

Some of the 54 passengers aboard Flight 1067, which originated from Oakland Airport, noticed fumes toward the rear of the cabin about 10:50 a.m., while the aircraft was 30 miles north of Burbank, its destination. The pilot then radioed to request clearance for an emergency landing.

“It’s a mystery,” said Tim Myers, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines. “At this point, we do not know what caused the fumes.”

After the 737-300 model carrier landed safely, airport paramedics treated an undisclosed number of passengers with oxygen and several others for reports of chest pain or burning eyes and throats. No one was hospitalized.

While first reports described smoke in the cockpit of the airliner, technicians checked the equipment and found no irregularities, Myers said.

Ground officials speculated that a passenger might have been carrying a Mace or aerosol-spray container that discharged during the flight.

“That is why aerosol containers aren’t allowed on board aircraft in the first place,” said Jim Mayfield, operations supervisor for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

“There are constant pressure changes during flight, and if these containers leak, their contents can be spread through the craft’s air-conditioning system.”

Airline officials said the plane would remain grounded Saturday while investigators looked into the origin of the fumes.