Flight Lands With 12 People Unconscious

Plane Apparently Lands With Unconscious Passengers

11:54 p.m. EDT July 15, 2004 - A plane landed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport late Thursday night apparently with several people unconscious.

A Southwest Airlines flight from Houston that was supposed to dock at BWI’s Gate C11 is reported to have as many as 12 people onboard who were not conscious when the plane landed, WBAL-TV 11 News reporter John Sherman reported. It is unclear as to why the people were possibly unconscious.

But airline officials told 11 News that one person was passed out on the plane and others may have been sick. Airline officials believe the illness may be food-related.

Fire-rescue crews from Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties responded to the airport, where as many as 20 ambulances were observed, Sherman reported.

As many as four Anne Arundel County medic units and at least one Baltimore County medic unit remain on standby status, but officials from both county departments said they did not transport anyone to hospitals.

Sherman reported seeing two planes possibly on the airport’s runway, surrounded by police vehicles. Since the incident, air traffic at BWI has been slow. In fact, Sherman reported at 11 p.m. that he had not seen a plane land or take off from the airport since arriving at the scene.