5 fall ill on US Airways flight

Five US Airways crew members were taken to a hospital Monday after becoming ill aboard a flight from Washington.

The crew and passengers had complained about a sulfur-type odor after the flight left Ronald Reagan-Washington National Airport, so the flight returned to the airport and the passengers and crew were moved to another plane.

Five crew members still became ill with unspecified symptoms, according to Valerie Wunder, a spokeswoman for US Airways, based in Phoenix.

The crew members were taken to a hospital after the flight landed in Boston.

They were treated with oxygen after complaining of headaches and nausea, said Boston EMS Lt. Christopher Stratton. Two of them showed symptoms of exposure to carbon monoxide, he said.

"I guess there was some question about a malfunctioning oil pump," Stratton said, but added that it "has yet to be determined if that was the initial source."

None of the 81 passengers on Flight 2022 was affected, Wunder said.

The Association of Flight Attendants issued a news release saying the illnesses highlight the need to study aircraft cabin air for potential toxins, which it has long urged.