American Airlines Jet Makes U-Turn Over Illness

An American Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles had to return to London on Wednesday after passengers and crew fell ill on board. One flight attendant "literally just fainted ... just fell forward, put her hand out and hit the floor," one of 188 passengers on board tells ABC News. "It was crazy." Another passenger tells the Daily Mirror there was "lots of commotion" as crew members asked if there were any doctors on board to treat the ill, which included at least two passengers and four crew members, some of whom said they felt light-headed. (The numbers are all over the map: The Independent, for instance, says seven members of the crew and "many passengers" initially fell ill.)

The flight was near Iceland when the pilot made the decision to return to Heathrow Airport, making an emergency landing about five hours after takeoff. "There were police cars, ambulances, and firefighters who escorted us down the runway and then we were held for 45 minutes before docking," a passenger says, per the Telegraph. Crews searched the plane but found no hazardous substances. All unwell passengers and crew members were examined and released. Officials say the plane was being inspected by maintenance engineers. (More American Airlines stories.)