Several flights were delayed or canceled at Charlotte-Douglas International airport this morning after an outbound flight leaked fuel shortly after takeoff.
Delta Airlines Flight 2481 bound for Detroit took off from around 9:30 a.m. Moments later, the 22-year old Boeing 717-200 could be seen leaking fuel from its left wing in a video sent to WSOC-TV.
New video sent to me from a Twitter follower of the plane at Charlotte Douglas that needed an emergency landing. @HannahGoetztv is live at noon
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) March 14, 2023
https://t.co/LEoOOMWgdG pic.twitter.com/ONUCsgOy92
The plane had 55 passengers and five crew members on board, according to a Delta spokesperson. The flight taxied to a gate under its own power, according to a statement from Delta.
Pilots turned around and made a safe landing on another runway, where fuel continued to leak. Both that runway and the one the plane took off from were closed.
CLT remained in operation with just one runway, according to airport officials. One runway reopened shortly after 10 a.m. and the second at 10:30 a.m. The closure of both runways resulted in the FAA issuing a ground stop. Flights scheduled to leave could not take off until both runways were clear.
According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, 233 flights were delayed and 33 canceled as of late Tuesday afternoon.
