Passengers and crew aboard a Spirit Airlines flight were subjected to a terrifying ordeal on Monday when the aircraft was riddled with bullets while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
One flight attendant was even grazed by a bullet and sustained minor injuries.
The flight had been arriving at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport from Fort Lauderdale, FL when the incident occurred, in what was believed to have been gang-related activity.
After bullets pierced the plane's cabin the flight was safely diverted to nearby Santiago, in the Dominican Republic, where TMZ reports that the injured flight attendant was being evaluated by medical personnel.
In the wake of the shooting, all commercial flights out of Port-au-Prince were grounded, and all U.S.-based carriers canceled flights to Port-au-Prince through Tuesday.
Flight tracking data on Monday likewise showed JetBlue Airways, Air Caraibes, and Amerijet Cargo planes rerouting away from Haiti.
Spirit Airlines spokesperson confirmed to the Miami Herald that the damaged aircraft was taken out of service and that the airline was arranging for a different flight to return passengers and crew to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday.
"Following the flight’s arrival at STI, an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire," the spokesperson said.
"The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and we have suspended our service at Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien pending further evaluation."
Just last month, another similar incident occurred when a United Nations helicopter was struck by gang gunfire while departing Port-au-Prince, and was forced to return to the airport.
Thankfully, no one was injured in that instance.
