Passengers aboard a jet that leaked fuel twice on a runway at LAX last week said they were terrified. The passengers said they could smell jet fuel seeping onboard Spirit Airlines Flight 424 last Wednesday.
Passengers flying out of Los Angeles International Airport bound for Minneapolis on Wednesday were pulled off the plane once the fuel started spilling from the wing onto the tarmac.
They said they were loaded off the flight, then put back on the same plane only to have it happen again. Passengers said they're glad the plane never made it off the runway because they weren't sure what kind of danger they could have been in.
"Everyone was automatically like, 'What is going on?'" said Shana Potts, who was traveling with her 12-year-old daughter. "Why are we on this plane?"
A couple hours later, they were told everything was OK and they got back on. But then ... "It's leaking."
Passengers started yelling to the flight crew that they could see fuel spilling again, just as they were getting ready to take off. Spirit Airlines said in a statement that the airplane was inadvertently fueled past capacity, resulting in fuel spilling during taxing.
Emergency crews responded, and passengers say they waited in line for hours to try to rebook.
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"When I saw the gas dripping, it scared me," said Potts' daughter, Trinity. "I could smell it and I thought the plane was going to catch fire."
Potts shared the email from Spirit Airlines, giving her two $50 vouchers to make up for a night of rebooking and connections.
"I feel like a lot of us put our lives on the line by flying with them," she said. "And not putting our lives first."
