BOSTON – There were some tense moments on a JetBlue flight from Los Angeles to Logan Airport when the plane’s cabin began to fill with smoke Tuesday morning.

JetBlue cabin fills with smoke

Laura Benson of Brockton was on board the plane and said she was sitting a few seats behind the first-class cabin and saw smoke rising from the room.

“I saw very thick, heavy smoke coming from the seating area,” Benson said.

JetBlue said a passenger’s cellphone malfunctioned on board Flight 988, causing smoke in the cabin. The incident occurred during the plane’s approach to Logan Airport.

“First you smelled the plastic – a really acrid smell – and then the cabin filled with smoke and you saw the crew immediately spring into action.”

Cell phone breakdown to blame

JetBlue issued a statement saying: “The crew members handled the situation according to their training. The flight landed safely and no injuries or damage to the aircraft were reported.”

Benson said she saw crew members quickly remove two of the passengers from the area. “They got the fire extinguisher, made sure everyone was safe and out of their seats and that they had also been safely placed in other seats, and then they announced that they were going to turn the air on to clear the air because that’s when the eyes started to hurt.”

She said crew members put the cell phone in the bathroom and closed the bathroom door.

Laura said she was impressed by the crew’s quick response, as things could have been worse. “At the end there was applause and we just said thank you,” she smiled.

JetBlue says it will work with the appropriate authorities to complete an investigation into this incident. However, this is not the first incident of this kind. In 2019 a Virgin Atlantic flight had to make an emergency landing at Logan Airport when a cell phone battery set a seat cushion on fire.