U.S. NewsFeature
American Airlines flight returns to St. Louis after reported odor on board
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.
4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The New York Post, Daily Mail and Fox News report that American Airlines Flight 5089 from St. Louis to Philadelphia turned back and landed at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Saturday, October 17, after a reported odor on board. The airline told Fox News Digital that the flight returned shortly after takeoff following the odor. Passengers told the outlets that oxygen masks dropped during the flight and that the departure was delayed about two hours. Fox News Digital reviewed FlightAware data showing the plane was in the air for 34 minutes. The cause has not been confirmed; an aviation expert told Fox News Digital that engine oil entering the air supply could explain the odor.
Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works
What happened
Key points
Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.
According to American Airlines, Flight 5089 from St. Louis to Philadelphia turned back and landed at St. Louis Lambert airport on Saturday, October 17, after a reported odor on board.
One outletFox News· Far Right
Passengers said oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling during the flight.
One side only: the rightReported byRight2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Right
- New York Post, Daily Mail
- Far Right
- Fox News
Passengers said the flight was delayed about two hours before it took off.
One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Right
- New York Post, Daily Mail
FlightAware data reviewed by Fox News Digital showed the plane was in the air for 34 minutes before it landed back in St. Louis.
One outletFox News· Far Right
The cause of the odor has not been confirmed; an aviation expert said engine oil entering the air supply could explain it.
One outletFox News· Far Right
How each side tells it
Compare views
Every outlet present, rated right or far right, reports that a Saturday American Airlines flight from St. Louis to Philadelphia turned back after a reported odor and that oxygen masks dropped, and they tell it mainly through passengers’ accounts of fear.
the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
3 outlets
Right-side headlines lead with passengers’ fear, quoting lines like “smelled like fire”; Fox News, rated Far Right, leads with the starkest quote, “We’re going to die”.
Illinois mom’s Sensational language“harrowing”The word adds dramatic emotional weight that the reported facts do not require.More neutral: textDisagree with this highlight? text she sent kids as American Airlines plane ‘smelled like fire’
New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines
The words they chose
Language to notice
Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.
Left
Has not covered this story.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right1
harrowing
In the outlets’ own words
Sensational language
harrowingMore neutral: text
The word adds dramatic emotional weight that the reported facts do not require.
Illinois mom’s harrowing text she sent kids as American Airlines plane ‘smelled like fire’
Used byNew York Post (Right)
See for yourself
Side by side
What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.
From the left
0 outletsNo left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the center
0 outletsNo center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the right
3 outletsLeads with
- passenger fear and survival
- oxygen masks dropping mid-flight
- cabin smell described as fire or smoke
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- Fox NewsFar Right
'We're going to die': Passengers recount midair terror before emergency landing
Oxygen masks dropped mid-flight as an American Airlines plane made an emergency landing at St. Louis airport on Oct. 17 after passengers reported a strange odor.
Also published by New York Post. It counts once.
- Daily MailRight
Terrified passengers began filming American Airlines emergency landing after noticing issues with its thrust before oxygen masks dropped from ceiling
American Airlines Flight 5089 from St. Louis to Philadelphia on Saturday was forced to turn around and emergency land after passengers smelled smoke.
- New York PostRight
Illinois mom’s Sensational language“harrowing”The word adds dramatic emotional weight that the reported facts do not require.More neutral: textDisagree with this highlight? text she sent kids as American Airlines plane ‘smelled like fire’
An Illinois mom on board an American Airlines plane sent a harrowing message to her kids fearing for her life as the cabin “smelled like fire” – before she was forced to “jump from the wing” following an emergency landing. …
Passengers recount terror in the sky before plane forced into emergency landing: ‘Is this real?’
New York Post published a report that is shown in full at Fox News. The headline is the one New York Post gave it.
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The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.
Who reported it when
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Left
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
New York Post, Oct 19, 5:17 AM EDT
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- New York PostRightOct 19, 5:17 AM EDT
- Daily MailRightOct 19, 4:43 PM EDT
- Fox NewsFar RightOct 20, 7:00 AM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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