United Airlines passengers forced to jump off plane's wings in emergency landing

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United Airlines flight 6517 made an emergency landing in Tucson Sunday
Plane's cabin filled with smoke and passengers smelled a chemical odor
Parents covered babies' faces with blankets to protect them from the fumes
LAX-bound plane evacuated on landing, with people jumping off the wings
Aircraft was carrying 73 passengers and was operated by SkyWest Airlines
No one was injured and the FAA are investigating the cause of the smoke

Published: 17:49 EST, 8 February 2016 | Updated: 11:38 EST, 9 February 2016

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Terrified passengers had to jump off a plane's wings during an emergency landing in Arizona after the aircraft's cabin filled with smoke.

United Airlines flight 6517 had just taken off from Tucson International Airport on Sunday morning when a strong chemical odor and thick smoke swept through the plane.

People on board the Los Angeles-bound plane noticed something was wrong almost immediately after the plane left the ground and parents were forced to cover babies' faces with blankets because of the acrid fumes.

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Terrified passengers had to jump off a plane's wings during an emergency landing in Arizona after the aircraft's cabin filled with smoke. Pictured, shaky footage taken from the runway by a passenger

Passenger Tiffany Lizares covered her baby's head with a blanket after smelling a strong chemical odor

Jessica Scott described the cabin as 'completely filled with smoke' before people started screaming that there was a fire on board

Passengers described chaotic scenes as people rushed to the exits of the Bombardier CRJ plane after landing, with some forced to jump off its wings as they ran to safety.

Tiffany Lizares told KGUN9-TV that she initially thought the man sitting in front of her was smoking before realizing the fumes were coming from the plane.

'We could smell a strong chemical burning odor,' she said. 'I was too concerned with my daughter that I had put a blanket over her head because for a newborn the smell was just too strong.

'We were so scared that I actually at the door handed my baby to my husband and told him to run because he's a faster runner than I am,' the panicked mother said.

Her husband, Rylan Lizares, said: 'Luckily I ran out to the left, which had a exit ramp. The other passengers who went to the right or over the wings had to jump out of the plane, so it was about a six foot drop.'

Fellow passenger Jessica Scott described the cabin as 'completely filled with smoke' before people started screaming that there was a fire on board.

Ryan Lizares grabbed his baby and ran as fast as he could after the smoke-filled plane landed back in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday morning

The United Airlines (file picture) plane that made the emergency landing was operated by SkyWest Airlines

None of the 73 passengers and four crew members were injured and all on board quickly escaped the aircraft as emergency vehicles met it on the runway.

The flight, which was operated by SkyWest Airlines, took off shortly after 6am on Sunday but was back on the tarmac less than 30 minutes later.

No fire was found on board and the Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating what caused the smoke.

SkyWest Airlines claimed the smell was caused by the plane's air conditioning and that there was not a fire.

A spokeswoman for SkyWest Airlines said: 'SkyWest flight 6517, operating as United Express from Tucson to Los Angeles on Sunday, returned to Tucson shortly after departure due to reported smoke in the cabin.

'After landing, the crew expedited deplaning and all 73 passengers and four crew safely deplaned. There were no injuries.

'Mechanical inspection determined no evidence of fire and that the smell was caused by an air conditioning unit.

'We added another flight to help customers resume their travels to Los Angeles as quickly as possible.'

United Airlines declined to comment.