On August 4, brown, foul-smelling liquid dramatically dropped to the ground near a gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). Videos of the ceiling collapse have since been shared online. Before a portion of the ceiling completely opened up near Gate T11, darkish water seeped through the tile and lighting. In clips of the incident, travelers navigating the airport tried to rush past and avoid what was falling from the ceiling.
Videos circulating on the web have been attributed to Jamaal Carlos Jr. and Mariah McCaleb.
Carlos’s travels from Atlanta to Dallas were delayed, so he was nearby and awaiting his flight when the ceiling collapsed. He told local news source 11Alive that airport officials put yellow caution tape around the area, but travelers were still caught in the mess and subjected to the stench.
“As we’re waiting, we see water just pouring from the ceiling. It had been pouring consistently for maybe 10-15 seconds,” Carlos detailed. “And it just progressively got worse. The ceiling fell through, and it stinks really bad.”
“Even after it poured… I thought they would get buckets or do something, but people were walking through it,” he added. “Airport personnel had to come and re-route everyone to take a different route. It’s crazy. So, they moved our gate… we were just so close to it. So they moved us a little bit further, but you can still smell it two or three gates down.”
Details On The Ceiling Collapse At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson – Delta Air Lines‘ primary location – is the busiest airport in the United States. In a statement shared by 11Alive, the flight hub noted that the Lower North Checkpoint had temporarily closed. Hartsfield-Jackson added that emergency medical services (EMS) and customer service representatives were on-site.
Additionally, an airport representative confirmed details to PEOPLE regarding where the ceiling collapse occurred, how it impacted daily operations, and what’s known about the incident’s cause. Whether it was sewage that leaked from the ceiling hasn’t been officially confirmed or disclosed.
“Following yesterday’s ceiling leak near Gate T11, cleanup and sanitization of the affected area have been completed, and normal operations have resumed,” said the airport representative. “The exact cause is still under investigation. Throughout the response, customer service representatives assisted in redirecting passengers, and there was no impact to overall airport operations.”
