Hawaiian Airlines Flight 23 from Oakland to Kahului, Maui has been making headlines this weekend for a couple of strange reasons. One weird event on a plane would be noteworthy – but two back to back is just plain bad luck. The first incident involved a gruesome photo popping up on users’ phones while waiting to pushback. The second occured up in the air when passengers found out what happens when someone takes a canister of pepper spray on a plane. The Hawaiian Airlines AirDrop incident So imagine this, you find your seat, fasten your seatbelt and pull out your phone to let the cousins know when you’ll be arriving, only for a crime scene photo involving a small child to pop up on your screen. Not only that but everyone around you got it too. Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie. Turns out it was a 15 year old girl trying to Airdrop a mock-up crime scene, school project image to her Mom. The family was escorted of the plane, the incident investigated and they were rebooked without charges. Still, that was the first 15 minute delay. The Hawaiian airlines pepper spray incident The Boeing 767 then took off, but about halfway through the flight travellers in the first class and the premiere section smelled “something unpleasant.” Fellow passengers reported seeing people covering their faces with sweaters and then the smell worsened and some began to cough. If this were on the ground, you’d just leave the area, but on a 787 there’s nowhere to go. People started to panic. Some shouted for the air masks to be dropped. Crew and passengers started getting the classic red, streaming eyes. The crew suspected it was an accidental pepper spray discharge and moved 12 passengers from First and Premium to the back of the aircraft. Around half an hour later, the pepper spray dissipated and people, although still affected, returned to their seats. The incident didn’t warrant turning back and there aren’t too many alternative airports between California and Hawaii anyway. After landing in Hawaii, passenger videos show fire and rescue boarding the flight and calmly informing passengers that they will disembark as usual and then be offered treatment. Twelve passengers and three flight attendants were treated for mild respiratory problems. Are you allowed to take pepper spray on a plane? In short, no. Whoever brought the can of pepper spray on board will likely be fined and this could be up to $13,000. However, for me and I’m sure many others, we’ll be asking – how come TSA can find the hotel sized hand moisturizer I left in my carry on and not a pepper spray canister? Firstly it was a 1.5 ounces canister, well below the 100ml – 3 US ounces size they restrict. And also, they really can’t find everything. When your bag is scanned, we all know what the image looks like on the screen. It’s not really a precision science. The air industry still relies on passengers to be vigilant about how they pack their own bags. In reaction to the pepper spray Hawaiian Airlines have issued the 256 passengers $500 in travel credits. And while they’d prefer cash, this will give Hawaiian a chance to ask customers to “Come Voyage with Us…” once again.<doc-sep>More than a dozen passengers and crew members had to be treated for respiratory issues on Friday when pepper spray, which was illegally brought on board, was accidentally triggered in the cabin of a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Oakland to Maui. Flight 23 was cruising somewhere over the Pacific Ocean when passengers in the front of the Boeing 767 began to smell an odor and experience respiratory issues, the airline told ABC News. The pilots declared an emergency and got priority clearance into Maui. The flight landed safely. During the incident, passengers were moved to the back of the plane. First responders treated 12 passengers and three flight attendants for respiratory issues. They have all been released, authorities said. Once the plane landed, it was determined that the issues experienced by passengers were as a result of a leaking can of pepper spray that was brought on board illegally by a passenger, police said. Pepper spray is banned by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from all carry-on luggage, though 4-ounce or smaller containers can be in checked baggage. The passenger is being interviewed by authorities in order to figure out how it got through security, police said. The container was about 1.5 ounces. The Maui Police Department is the lead in investigating the case. Hawaiian Airlines is giving all passengers on the plane a $500 travel credit. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident, it told ABC News. ABC News has reached out to the TSA for comment on the apparent failed security screening at Oakland International Airport. Civil penalties for bringing pepper spray on an airplane can be $1,960, though it can be higher based on the circumstances of the case. The penalty for bringing a weapon to an airport could be a $13,066 fine, according to the TSA. There were 256 passengers and 10 crew members on board the flight.<doc-sep>
HONOLULU — A can of pepper spray went off inside a plane headed from Oakland, California, to Maui on Friday, requiring emergency help for several people aboard, Hawaiian Airlines said. Twelve passengers and three flight attendants were treated for respiratory issues and released by emergency responders at the airport in Kahului, Hawaii, airline spokesman Alex Da Silva said. A passenger illegally brought the pepper spray on the plane carrying 256 passengers and 10 crew members, but it appears it discharged accidentally, Da Silva said in a statement. The airline could not provide any details about the passenger or why officials believe the release was accidental. The flight crew of the Boeing 767 declared an emergency to get priority to land at the airport in Hawaii. Nicholas Andrade said he and his fiancee were trying to take a nap in their seats just behind first class when the problems began. “I was woken up by someone having a coughing fit. But what I came to find out is that it wasn’t one person coughing, it was many people coughing. And then everyone was coughing and then we were coughing. And the flight attendants were covering their faces and passengers started covering their faces,” he said. People had trouble breathing and were shouting. “People were definitely panicked,” he said. Flight attendants told the affected passengers to move to the back of the plane where the air wasn’t bothering people. He said about 40 people stood in the back galley for about a half-hour until the air around their seats improved. Andrade was among the 12 evaluated by medical professionals after the plane landed. He said he had a headache and felt light-headed. Other passengers had burning and watering eyes. Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said in an email that her agency and Maui police are investigating. She said the canister held about 1.5 ounces. The fine for bringing pepper spray onto an airplane can reach $1,960 or higher, Farbstein said. The airline said the flight was delayed earlier Friday after a teenager in Oakland sent a photo depicting a fake crime scene “featuring a child-sized mannequin” to other passengers’ cellphones. The teen and his family were booked for a later flight while officials investigated. Hawaiian Airlines said the two incidents were not related and the family’s baggage had to be located and removed from the plane, causing the delay.