By Stephanie Farr
The Philadelphia Daily News
PHILIDELPHIA, Pa. — A U.S. AIRWAYS flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Rome was diverted to Philadelphia on Tuesday night after several crew members smelled an odor on board the plane and fell ill, a spokesman for the airline said.
As of Wednesday night, officials were still trying to sniff out the cause of the stench that was reported as coming from the rear cabin section of the aircraft.
Flight 720 left Charlotte about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday and was scheduled to arrive in Rome the following day at 9:30 a.m. But about 9:07 p.m., after the aircraft had already passed Philadelphia, two flight attendants noticed an odor in the cabin and reported to the captain that they were feeling ill, said Todd Lehmacher, a spokesman for U.S. Airways.
“In an abundance of caution, we figured it was best to return to Philadelphia instead of go ahead and cross the Atlantic,” Lehmacher said.
Paramedics met the flight, which landed safely at Philadelphia International Airport, and four flight attendants who were feeling ill were taken to a hospital for evaluation. The last flight attendant was released from the hospital at 4:20 a.m.
Lehmacher said none of the 176 passengers on board the flight reported any illness.
The aircraft and crew were switched, and all passengers left for Italy about 2 a.m.
Reach Stephanie Farr at farrs@phillynews.com or 215-854-4225. You can also follow her on Twitter @FarFarrAway and read her blog PhillyConfidential.com.
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