Dallas

Plane Ebola Patient Flew On Landed in Fort Lauderdale

The plane on which a Dallas nurse flew the day before she tested positive for Ebola made a stop at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport before it was taken out of service to be decontaminated.

The nurse, identified as 29-year-old Amber Joy Vinson, reportedly traveled from Cleveland to Dallas on Fronteir Airlines Flight 1143 Monday, a day before she began showing symptoms for Ebola, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The crew from the Frontier flight Vinson took said she showed no signs or symptoms while on board. CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said on a Wednesday conference call that Vinson, or anyone who had contact with a known Ebola patient, should not have been on board a commercial airliner. 

Frontier said Monday's flight to Dallas-Fort Worth landed at 8:16 p.m. and was parked overnight at the airport. The plane was cleaned according to CDC standards and returned to service on Oct. 14. It was cleaned again in Cleveland at the end of the day on Oct. 14.

The plane was used for five additional flights, including a stop in Fort Lauderdale, before being taken out of service.

Flightaware.com shows the plane went on a return trip from Dallas to Cleveland, Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale to Cleveland, Cleveland to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Cleveland.

The airline said it removed the plane from service Wednesday, after Vinson tested positive for Ebola. The plane was being cleaned again at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Wednesday.

The NBC affiliate in Cleveland, WKYC, reported the flight was scheduled to return to Denver for a flight Wednesday afternoon.

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