American Airlines Flight Out Of LAX Makes Emergency Landing

LOS ANGELES, CA — An unusual odor in the cockpit of an an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York forced the plane to make an emergency landing in Abilene, Texas, Wednesday.

Plenty of passengers were alarmed, but nobody was injured in the incident. Flight 4 departed Los Angeles International Airport at 11:12 a.m. Wedensday. It was bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, but it never made it. Instead, the plane landed at the Abilene Regional Airport around 1:40 p.m. California time. The airline rebutted media reports that smoke caused the emergency landing of the Airbus A321. According to a statement from American Airlines, the problem was "an odor in the cockpit."

"Our maintenance team is troubleshooting the issue," according to the airline.

All passengers were safely taken off the plane, and they will be placed on another aircraft and depart Abilene en route to JFK around 4 p.m. California time.

City News Service contributed to this report.