Overview
- Pilots on Delta Flight 2204 declared an emergency after reporting smoke or fumes in the flight deck and returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta shortly after takeoff.
- The Boeing 757 landed safely and first responders met the aircraft on a taxiway where all 199 passengers and six crew members evacuated using emergency slides.
- One passenger and one crew member sought medical attention after the evacuation and the others were bused back to the terminal and re-accommodated on a replacement plane.
- Delta maintenance teams are inspecting the grounded aircraft, registered N555NW, while the Federal Aviation Administration has opened a formal investigation into the cause of the fumes.
- Fume or smoke reports are treated as high risk because contaminated bleed air or an electrical or engine fault can impair flight-deck systems or crew performance, and investigators will review systems, maintenance records, and cockpit reports.