The O’Hare airport in Chicago received an emergency landing from a plane carrying hundreds of soldiers on Monday afternoon. The soldiers were traveling from Fort Riley, Kansas to Poland as part of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team to support NATO forces.
Atlas Air Flight 5Y8380, which had its beginning in Topeka, Kansas, and was headed to Poland, was detoured to O’Hare.
There was “an indication of a potential irregularity in the cargo compartment shortly after takeoff,” according to a representative of Atlas Air, which has a contract with the U.S. military.
Just before 4:00 p.m., the jet touched down safely. According to the Chicago Fire Department, 300 soldiers on board disembarked and were observed boarding waiting buses amid significant emergency police and fire reaction.
As a preventative measure, Chicago authorities examined the aircraft upon landing and found it safe for all passengers to disembark, according to a written statement from Atlas. “Our team is looking into the circumstances surrounding this occurrence and will make every effort to safely reactivate the aircraft,”
There were more than 300 passengers on the plane, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
No injuries have been reported.
