Mystery Illness Afflicts 7 Aboard AA Flight, Forces Emergency Landing

businesswoman on a flight with a great headache

Flyers aboard diverted American Airlines flight still not sure what caused mystery illness that affected crew members.

Those who flew aboard American Airlines Flight 109 on Wednesday, Jan. 27, are still looking for answers as the airline looks into what caused as many as seven people to become ill mid-flight. The Daily Mail reports the flight ultimately returned to its origin of London Heathrow Airport (LHR) due to the medical emergency.

According to those aboard, the situation began as the Boeing 777 was southwest of Iceland, two hours into the flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). A doctor aboard the flight claims one of the cabin crew members fell ill, ultimately losing consciousness before being placed on oxygen. Shortly afterwards, the Daily Mail reports as many as five other crew members and two passengers also claimed feeling unwell in flight.

“Other flight attendants all toward front of plane were dizzy, light headed, had vertigo and were slightly nauseated,” Dr. Barbara Persons, a plastic surgeon aboard AA109, told the Daily Mail. “Two said they smelled a slight electrical or burning smell.”

According to reports, Persons spoke to the pilot about the situation. Immediately afterwards, an emergency was declared and the aircraft returned to LHR. According to The New York Times, medical personnel attended to the flyers, but nobody was transported to a hospital or accepted further care.

While passengers still do not have answers, officials investigating the situation have not released much information about the cause of the mystery illness. Although the 777 was pulled for inspection after the incident, the legacy carrier did not provide details on the aircraft condition or the root of the illness.

“Our maintenance team conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft, including a test flight, and found no issues with the Boeing 777-300,” an American spokesperson told the Daily Mail. “Out of an abundance of caution, all of the air filters on the aircraft were replaced.”

The incident is the second health-related incident for the legacy carrier this week. Earlier, the airline announced select changes for those flying to areas affected by the Zika virus.

[Photo: Getty Images]