Hillary Clinton’s Flight From NYC to Washington D.C. Forced to Return to Gate Due to Mechanical Issue
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was on reportedly board a flight from New York to Washington D.C. that started smoking and was forced to return to the gate on Sunday.
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The former presidential candidate was sitting on American Airlines flight 2144 when ground personnel and the pilots spotted a mechanical issue, forcing the plane to return to the gate from hundreds of feet away at about 3:15 p.m., according to CNN.
Pilots reported that the plane was shaking and ground personnel noticed smoke, later discovering metal debris in the area.
Although a law enforcement source confirmed to the network that Clinton was aboard the flight, a spokeswoman for American Airlines told Travel + Leisure that the airline doesn't "disclose passenger manifest information."
Passengers were put on a different plane and left for Washington at about 4:45 p.m., American Airlines told CNN. It was not immediately clear if Clinton was on the new flight.
CNN reported a representative for Clinton declined to comment and the U.S. Secret Service didn’t return a request for comment.
Clinton, who constantly travels, just visited Frogmore Cottage in England where she spent the day with Meghan Markle and met six-month-old Archie. The pair apparently discussed a letter Meghan had written to Clinton when she was 11 years old about a “sexist” dishwasher soap advertisement.
This isn't just the latest incident involving a high-profile passenger on a plane experiencing an issue that was, quite frankly, terrifying. In October, Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton were forced to abort their flight from Lahore to Islamabad in Pakistan because of severe weather and two failed landings.
And earlier this year, Jennifer Aniston told a story about how her plane lost a wheel during take-off. Aniston said her friends had chartered a flight to Mexico for a birthday surprise, but the plane was forced to turn around about two hours into the flight.
