Wheels up: Air France passengers depart Goose Bay on two flights after hours on tarmac
Two flights took nearly 500 Air France passengers stranded in Goose Bay on Saturday on their way to Los Angeles early Sunday morning, nearly a full day after they boarded the plane in Paris.
Air France sent a Boeing 777-300 and a leased Boeing 737 to the Goose Bay airport to transport the passengers on flight AF066, which landed in Labrador on Saturday afternoon after one of the Airbus A380's four engines blew out over the Atlantic Ocean.
Passengers on board reported hearing a loud noise following a drop in altitude several hours into their flight, from Paris to Los Angeles, but said the crew kept people calm as the emergency landing in Goose Bay was announced.
The 497 passengers weren't allowed off the plane in Goose Bay until the replacement planes arrived. One passenger reported others getting sick after being stuck on the plane so long.
One replacement flight landed in Los Angeles early Sunday morning, with the other sent to Atlanta, where passengers were still waiting to be taken the rest of the way.
Air France said an investigation is underway "to shed light on this serious incident," involving representatives from Air France, Airbus and the French Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau.
