According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Spirit Airlines flight from Florida was diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic after being hit by gunfire while attempting to land in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Monday, November 11th. The incident caused minor injuries to a flight attendant.
Two other flights bound for Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport were diverted as a precaution, according to an FAA statement. The airport was closed following the shooting, according to the agency.
A video posted to social media appeared to show a bullet hole inside the Spirit plane near an exit in the back of the cabin. The video also shows damage to an overhead compartment located above a row of seats. Photos shared by the airport where the plane landed in the Dominican Republic show what appear to be bullet holes on the plane’s exterior.
Spirit Airlines Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, just north of Miami, on Monday morning, bound for Port-au-Prince.
According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the flight flew over parts of Haiti and circled around Port-au-Prince. The Airbus A320 was over a neighborhood about 550 feet off the ground when it began to quickly climb and diverted to Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
“The decision to get out of there, I think that was a very solid decision,” said Robert Sumwalt, a former National Transportation Safety Board chairman and CBS News transportation safety expert and analyst.
Spirit reported that the flight landed safely. The airport reported 48 passengers on the flight. The aircraft was inspected in Santiago and found to have damage consistent with gunfire, according to the airline.
Spirit confirmed that the plane involved in Monday’s incident had been taken out of service. The airline was arranging for a different plane to transport the passengers and crew back to Fort Lauderdale on Monday.
Following the incident, Spirit and other airlines suspended flights to Haiti.