These toxic events have put the spotlight on a growing—and very troubling—issue in aviation
What would you do if smoke and fumes seeped into the cabin while you were on a plane? Last February, 99 passengers aboard a Delta Boeing 717-200 flight from Atlanta to Columbia, South Carolina, were thrust into chaos when both poured from vents into the cabin shortly after takeoff. Overcome with the acrid fumes, oxygen masks dropped from ceiling compartments, and passengers and pilots struggled to breathe fresh air and see through the thick, smoky haze. Fortunately, the plane was able to make a safe emergency landing.
A National Transportation Safety Board report noted that when pilots opened the flight deck door, responding firefighters “noticed a tremendous amount of smoke in the cabin, and the captain immediately ordered an evacuation.”
Federal Aviation Administration incident reports show that smoke and noxious fumes leaking into the cabin—most thankfully not as extreme as what happened in Georgia—occur at least three times every day, frequent enough to raise major concerns. We spoke to Daniel Bubb, a former commercial airline pilot, to find out what’s causing the problem and what airline passengers should know about these frightening incidents. Keep reading to learn how you can stay safe if smoke seeps into an airplane cabin.
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What is this hazy smoke, exactly?
@dailymail This is the terrifying moment a plane filled with smoke as it departed from Boston. ##shock #scary #plane #smoke #boston ♬ original sound – Daily Mail
The haze seen aboard aircraft in alarming videos shared on social media is often the result of oil or hydraulic fluid leaking into the cabin through faulty engine seals—something known in aviation as a “fume event.”
“The fumes are most likely to occur when pilots are starting up the engines and taxiing to the active runway,” explains Bubb. “This can make passengers and flight crew members feel nauseated. If they are exposed to it long enough, it can cause even more serious health problems.”
How do smoke and fumes get inside the plane?
Fumes can fill a cabin or cockpit because of how airplanes deliver breathable oxygen to passengers. Aircraft rely on a bleed-air system, which pulls outside air from the aircraft’s engines. Normally, about half of a plane’s air is recirculated, and the other half is drawn in through the engines. At times, however, that fresh air can be tainted if an engine oil seal, recirculation fan bearings or another component fails.
Bubb notes that engine oil seal failures are most often due to faulty maintenance or natural wear and tear. “If you think about how many times engines stop and start during the course of a day, it is understandable why the parts would wear down and there would be failures over time,” he says.
But when it does happen, noxious fumes and haze can be forced into the cabin or cockpit. Though both Bubb and the FAA stress that it’s rare, such scary scenarios occurred at least a thousand times during flights in 2024 alone.
How dangerous is it?
A fume event can be serious enough for the plane to have to make an emergency landing. According to a Wall Street Journal report, fumes have sickened passengers and even impaired pilots’ reaction times and vision.
Fortunately, most travelers who fly won’t experience the problem. And for those who do, one study out of England showed that the broad risk to occasional flyers, while inconclusive, appears to be low (though researchers noted that individual susceptibility may increase the likelihood of health effects).
On the flip side, pilots and flight attendants could face more serious consequences from cumulative exposure to contaminated air. “If flight crew members are exposed to these chemicals over time, they can develop major health problems including neurological issues and psychiatric issues, such as memory loss,” Bubb says.
Does it happen more on certain planes?
According to the Wall Street Journal, narrow-body jets of the Airbus A320 family are particularly susceptible to fume events, often caused by auxiliary power units.
CBS News noted that Airbuses accounted for 61% of reported incidents last year, or nearly three times more than Boeing during the same period. The Hill reported that the Airbus A320—used widely by JetBlue and Spirit in the U.S.—had seven times more incidents than its counterpart, the Boeing 737.
The reason? Design differences. “The Airbus A320 tends to have a more traditional engine bleed system to pressurize hydraulic systems and provide air to the cabin, whereas it is not as prevalent in Boeing aircraft,” Bubb says. For instance, the Boeing 787 uses an electrical system rather than engine bleed air.
How can you stay safe if this happens on your flight?
Bubb says the best thing to do if your flight experiences the issue is immediately cover your nose and mouth. If it happens while taxiing or waiting on the tarmac, and you begin to feel sick, take action: “If the smell gets worse and the passenger begins to feel unwell, they definitely should page a flight attendant and ask to get off the airplane,” he advises.
If the odor persists, even if you don’t feel ill, he stresses that it’s important to alert a flight attendant. This is a good idea even if it’s not possible to get off the plane. The FAA requires that fume and smoke incidents be investigated and fixed before the aircraft can return to service. Meanwhile, politicians from both sides of the aisle are sounding the alarm and urging the FAA to move faster in implementing an airline and passenger reporting system for such events.
“I think the important thing is for the traveling public to remember that commercial airliners are machines, and they break much the same way as other machines, since they are very heavily used each day,” Bubb says. “Parts will fail and need to be replaced. Leaks will happen too. Airlines are trying their best to maintain these marvelous machines.”
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Sources:
- Dan Bubb, PhD, former first officer at Air Vegas Airlines, associate professor at the University of Nevada and author of Landing in Las Vegas: Commercial Aviation and the Making of a Tourist City; email interview, September 2025
- AP: “Report Says Thick Smoke Filled the Cabin of a Delta Plane That Took Off From Atlanta in February”
- CBS News: “Fume Incidents on Airplanes Raise Health Concerns for Passengers, Crew Members”
- Wall Street Journal: “Toxic Fumes Are Leaking Into Airplanes, Sickening Crews and Passengers”
- The Hill: “Toxic Jet Engine Fumes Sickening Crews, Passengers: Report”
- Wall Street Journal: “Lawmakers Urge FAA to Act on Fumes Leaking Into Commercial Aircraft”
- MDPI: “Aerotixic Syndrome—Susceptibility and Recovery”
