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A San Diego woman recalls a harrowing experience during the Frontier flight that caught fire
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A San Diego woman recalls a harrowing experience during the Frontier flight that caught fire

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what went wrong when a Frontier flight made an emergency landing in Las Vegas that took off from San Diego on Saturday.

ABC 10 News anchor Aaron Dickens spoke with a woman who said she smelled smoke and that she was on that flight.

She lives in the Normal Heights area, just about 10 minutes from San Diego International Airport. She said it was her first time flying Frontier, and it would be her last.

“This was a terrible experience. Things can happen. But this was not handled well,” said Eydie Kaufman.

Kaufman said she was among 190 passengers on the Frontier flight. It left San Diego International on Saturday afternoon, bound for Vegas.

Kaufman said she started smelling smoke.

“I had my mask on to try to help put out the smoke. “As we started our descent, the plane moved a lot, in a way that didn’t feel normal,” she said.

This video captured the plane’s landing. You can see the flames and smoke on the outside. On the inside, Kaufman said flight attendants were asked if something was wrong on the plane.

“They didn’t tell us anything. They said everything was fine. Sit down. They couldn’t control the situation. They didn’t help us. They just wanted us to stop talking about it,” Kaufman said.

According to the FAA, there was a fire in the plane’s right engine. After it landed, emergency services extinguished the flames. After 20 minutes, Kaufman said she got off the plane and was taken to the terminal.

“We went in. There was a baggage handler standing there with a neon vest. I said, ‘Where’s the manager or supervisor? How can we file a claim or get a refund?’ He said, ‘I don’t know,'” Kaufman said.

Kaufman said she is still evaluating all her options, including whether she will ever fly again.

Kaufman said the airline gave her a refund after she contacted the media relations department.

Frontier released a statement in part:

“The pilots detected smoke and declared a state of emergency. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew were evacuated. No injuries were reported. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”