Passengers shaken, pilots praised after American Airlines flight makes emergency landing at RDU

An American Airlines flight headed for Connecticut had to make an emergency landing at RDU because of reports of smoke inside the aircraft.

AA2392 made the emergency landing shortly before 9 a.m. The Boeing 737 had to be towed to the gate so passengers could exit.

Runways at RDU reopened after a brief pause so the flight could land. American Airlines responded to ABC11 about the emergency landing:

You never know and they didn't announce it right away. I just knew something wasn't right.

"American Airlines Flight 2392 with service from Charlotte to Windsor Locks, Connecticut, diverted to Raleigh-Durham (because of) reports of a possible odor in the cabin," American Airlines said. "The flight landed safely and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. Customers will continue on to BDL on a replacement aircraft shortly. We thank our crew members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

There were tense moments for passengers on board the flight.

"People were very scared," said passenger Bob Lauditi. "They were asking around to see if cellphones are working to text families and relatives to let them know what's going on. it was scary."

Some passengers said they heard a loud boom followed by a strong smell of smoke. That's when the pilot let everyone know they would have to make an emergency landing.

"I didn't see any smoke, but the smell was horrendous," said passenger Sara Doyle.

One passenger who was shaken and emotional about the incident said she texted her husband and three children to tell them she loved them. She said she didn't know what was going to happen next.

You never know and they didn't announce it right away. I just knew something wasn't right," Shanalle Lewis said.

Lewis said she was thankful things didn't get worse.

"It was an abrupt landing," she said. "They told us the fire brigade would be out there and stuff. A couple of minutes later, they said we were OK. That's when I had a sigh of relief."

There were questions from passengers about why the pilot and crew took so long to inform them of what was happening.

"It's a hard and fast rule that you fly the jet first and then talk to passengers," said John Nance, ABC News Aviation Analyst.

It may seem like more emergency landings are happening, but Nance said the difference is they are being reported.

"It may appear we are having more precautionary, emergency landings, but that's not really the figures. In fact, it's about the same that it's been over the last 10 or 20 years," he said.

Safety is our top priority.

"Our pilots are both highly skilled and robustly trained for a number of flying scenarios. We thank our crew members for their professionalism and for their unwavering dedication to the safety of our customers."

Passengers applauded the pilots at the gate. The pilots told those at the gate that they believed it may have been an engine issue.

American Airlines tells ABC11 on background that "any information obtained at the scene is preliminary, unverified and at this point speculation. The cause of the odor is still under investigation"

The flight eventually landed safely at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut.