American Airlines plane evacuated as smoke seen just before takeoff

An American Airlines plane had to be evacuated in North Carolina after smoke was detected coming from the plane, with a flight attendant taken to a nearby hospital, according to officials.

All 50 passengers and three crew members were rushed off flight 5720 just as the smoke was reported just before it was about to take off early Thursday from Charlotte Douglas International Airport for Columbia, South Carolina, the Charlotte Observer reported.

A flight attendant was taken to the hospital for precautionary evaluation, but no serious injuries were reported, the outlet said. It was not immediately clear how the staffer was hurt.

The Charlotte Fire Department responded and cleared the scene, and the plane was then towed off to the gate to be inspected by a maintenance team, according to the report.

The flight departed to Columbia on a replacement aircraft, the outlet reported — with FlightAware data showing it left nearly three hours late.

The flight, operated by Piedmont Airlines, reported mechanical issues, American Airlines said in a statement, apologizing to passengers for the scare.

“We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans and apologize for the inconvenience this caused,” the airline stated.