Funny smell forces evacuation and six-hour delay of Chicago-bound flight from San Francisco

Funny smell forces evacuation and delay of flight

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco International Airport officials say a Chicago-bound flight was evacuated and delayed six hours after a crew member smelled a strange odor coming from a carry-on bag.

Officials say the United Airlines flight was taxiing to the runway Tuesday morning when a flight attendant noticed a “pungent chemical odor” emanating from a bag that contained Chinese herbs.

The passengers were taken off the plane and re-screened, while dogs and hazardous materials and explosive teams searched the aircraft.

Investigators did not find anything suspicious on the plane or passengers and determined the strange smell came from the Chinese herbs, which were owned by an elderly couple who did not speak English fluently.

Information from: San Mateo County Times, www.sanmateotimes.com