A United Airlines flight traveling over a remote portion of the Pacific Ocean was forced to make an emergency landing at an abandoned military base on Midway Island after a burning smell filled the cabin.

The Boeing 777 took off from Honolulu and was bound for Guam Thursday when passengers noticed the odor.

“The smell was getting stronger . . . it smelled like something burning,” Teresita Smith told ABC News. ”It was very scary. It shook a lot of people up.”

Smith said the plane was delayed for three hours as the crew investigated before being cleared for takeoff.