An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at a Central Texas regional airport on Friday for a possible mechanical issue Killeen city officials earlier said involved smoke in the plane’s cargo area.
However, American Airlines told Newsweek in a statement that the plane landed safely in Killeen shortly after the flight crew reported a “possible mechanical issue.” The aircraft taxied to the gate area under its own power, and its 35 passengers exited normally using stairs, according to the statement.
The flight’s pilots initiated the emergency landing at Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport after becoming aware of the smoke shortly after 2 p.m. local time, according to a city of Killeen news release that was later taken down.
Robert Gray Army Airfield Fire and Emergency services were dispatched to the aircraft, and all 35 passengers and three crew members were safely deplaned and evaluated by emergency personnel, according to the city news release. None of the passengers or crew were found to have illnesses or injuries.
Officials could not find the cause of the smoke and the plane was cleared to return to service, the city said.
American Airlines told Newsweek in its statement “there was no smoke in the cargo hold or aircraft cabin.” There were three crew members and “there were no reported injuries to anyone on board.”
Janell J. Lewis Ford, city of Killeen spokeswoman, told Newsweek Friday evening that the information about the smoke came from airport officials.
The flight had departed Dallas at 1:10 p.m. on Friday with a final destination of Killeen, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware….