ERJ-190 APU Explosion at LGA with Clinton Onboard
The crew reported an APU explosion and said the ground folks were holding up pieces of the unit. No smoke in the cabin, smoke visible outside the aircraft.
Plane with Hillary Clinton aboard returns to gate after mechanical issue
By Noah Gray and Greg Clary, CNN
Updated 8:27 PM ET, Sun November 17, 2019
(CNN)Hillary Clinton was aboard an American Airlines flight from New York that suffered a mechanical issue and needed to return to the gate Sunday afternoon, according to a law enforcement source. A separate law enforcement source confirmed Clinton was aboard a plane which experienced a mechanical issue that needed to return to the gate.
American Airlines says flight 2144, from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Washington's Reagan National Airport returned to the gate around 3:15 pm, ET, after ground personnel saw the mechanical issue, according to the source.Pilots told authorities the plane shook and ground personnel saw smoke and discovered metal debris in the area after the incident, which took place hundreds of feet from the terminal, according to the law enforcement source. Passengers boarded a different aircraft and departed for Washington at 4:45 pm, ET, according to the airline.A representative for Clinton declined to comment. US Secret Service hasn't yet returned a request for comment from CNN.
This story is developing.