British flight crew take ill in fumes alert

Eight crew members from a US Airways flight from London were taken to hospitals in Pittsburgh and treated for nausea and burning sensations in their eyes and nostrils caused by fumes in the aircraft.

The crew of the London-to-Pittsburgh US Airways Flight 741 were affected shortly after the Airbus A330 took off from Gatwick airport, airline spokesman David Castelveter said.

The fumes, which the airline believes were caused by either cleaning fluid or insecticide that was sprayed in the plane on Monday, were limited to the rear of the aircraft, Castelveter said.

There were 177 passengers and 13 crew members on board the flight. The crew members and two passengers affected by the fumes recovered after they were moved to another part of the plane, Castelveter said. One crew member was given adrenaline, also called epinephrine, during the flight, he said.

The crew members were taken to two hospitals as a precaution.