Passenger Describes Emergency Landing of Plane in Oakland

A Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to Chicago this morning had to be turned around because of apparent issues with the plane’s landing gear but managed to land safely at Oakland International Airport. Southwest Flight 2547 took off at about 6 a.m. from Oakland and was headed to Chicago’s Midway International Airport with 139 passengers on board, but the captain in command decided to turn around because of the maintenance issue, Southwest officials said.

Jeffrey Atkins, who posted on Twitter from the plane, wrote that the problem appeared to be with equipment on the left side of the plane.

“Something on left side was making a banging noise, flashing orange light shortly after takeoff as the gear was retracted,” Atkins wrote.

He wrote that there were no other anomalies before the “smooth and uneventful” landing around 10:15 a.m. The plane flew for a few hours to burn off fuel before attempting to land, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said. Firefighters escorted the plane to the gate after the landing and turned it over to Southwest officials.

The Oakland Fire Department had sent one truck and four engines in case the plane caught on fire, a fire dispatcher said. Southwest officials said the aircraft will be taken out of service for inspection and that the airline is working to get the passengers to their destinations.

“With everything we do, safety is of paramount importance and we appreciate our customers’ patience while we work to get them to their destinations for their holidays,” Southwest said in a statement.

Atkins wrote shortly before noon that he had already booked a new flight.

“Gotta get back on the horse, right?” he said. He also thanked the flight crew for getting everyone down safely.

“The best emergencies are the uneventful and boring ones,” he wrote.

See Also:

• Tears, Prayers, Applause as Damaged Southwest Jet Makes Safe Emergency Landing

By Bay City News

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