‘We were attacked’: Passengers recall gunfire that hurt 1 as flight landed in Haiti

Passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight that had to be diverted as it was landing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, said they felt trauma, adrenaline and confusion as gangs opened fire at the aircraft, injuring one flight attendant.

Valeria Victor was one of the people on flight 951, which had left from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Monday morning. She said what happened was “terrible,” as she begged the gangs for peace.

“More than 40 people on the plane were people who just came to visit home. These were not military personnel. These were civilians, but we were attacked,” she said.

Fellow passenger Kevin Adair said he was still on “an adrenaline rush” when he landed back in Fort Lauderdale.

“[The flight] was normal until there was a loud bang or crash sound when the bullets hit the fuselage,” Adair, who co-founded a nonprofit called El Fuego do Sol that is based in Haiti, said. “And then the plane, which was cruising into a regular landing, hit the gas and took altitude and got the heck out of the Port-au-Prince area.”

WHEN BULLETS HIT THE PLANE

Adair said he heard “several crashes right behind us, kind of like if somebody had a medical cart and tipped it over,” he said. 

The gunfire appeared to be part of what the U.S. Embassy called “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports.”

Haiti’s international airport was temporarily shut down due to the violence, which came as a new prime minister was sworn in.

“I mean, you know, I’ve been living in Port-au-Prince,” passenger Phillip DeBart said. “We were hoping that with the [multinational security support missions], you know, led by the Kenyans… that, you know, the area of the airport was safe… so, the situation is still problematic.”

Adair also said his understanding was that the airport in the Haitian capital was secured by the United Nations with support from Kenya, and so he had booked accommodations across the street. 

“So I thought we were gonna be safe… but I wasn’t able to even land,” he said. “I’ve landed in Port-au-Prince like 40 times, and it was–everything was normal.”

INJURIES AND DAMAGES

Until, that is, seven bullets flew through the aircraft, hitting the cockpit and cabin, a source said. Video from inside the plane showed multiple bullet holes throughout the cabin and in the overhead bins.

One flight attendant sustained minor injuries and was evaluated by medical personnel. Sources said a bullet went through a slide door, causing fiberglass to explode and hit the flight attendant on the face and neck. The airline confirmed no passengers were injured.

“The crew was really traumatized,” DeBart said.

Spirit Airlines has suspended its service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien pending further evaluation. American Airlines and JetBlue announced they will also suspend flights to Haiti through Thursday. JetBlue said a post-flight inspection of flight 935 from Port-au-Prince that landed safely at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on Monday also found that the flight’s exterior had been struck by a bullet.

DIVERTED TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

“And then the pilot hit the gas… and there were quite a few G-forces kind of pushing into your seat as we went off,” Adair said. “When we were landing, it was quite a while as we gradually approached the airport from the sea where we had come from. Leaving the airport, it was like, almost immediate.”

The plane was diverted to the Dominican Republic, where passengers said they had to wait for seven to eight hours before they were put on the flight back to FLL.

“It took a while to understand what was really going on. So it initially just felt like a go-around. Like, OK, we’re going around for some reason,” Adair said. “But then as we realized that we’re landing in a different country and as the fire department is approaching, it certainly was a gradual building of adrenaline.”

“After the landing, we were informed that actually, our plane was a crime scene, and we would not [be able to] recover our luggage for the time being,” DeBart said.

That’s where, once he was connected to the internet, he found news articles detailing what had happened.

HAITIANS PLEAD FOR END TO VIOLENCE

“There’s a political mindset that has consumed our country of Haiti. We’re asking for peace from the gangs in Haiti. We want them to know that we are all brothers and sisters, that we are one people. We can’t keep killing one another. This is not normal to live this way right now. The people on the plane are not people who came to Haiti to fight them. These were people who wanted to come to their home country. And, we could have died,” Victor said. “We need help in Haiti. We need the people who say they are friends with Haiti to come help Haiti during this turmoil.”