American Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing at LAX

LOS ANGELES, CA An American Airlines flight from San Jose to Phoenix was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport today, authorities said.

Firefighters were standing by near Runway 25-Right when American flight 564 landed safely shortly before 11 a.m.

In a statement, American Airlines officials said the plane “diverted to Los Angeles due to a mechanical issue.”

“The aircraft, an Airbus A319 with 125 passengers and a crew of five, landed safely and taxied to the gate. Our maintenance team is currently evaluating the aircraft. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience, and are working to get them to Arizona as soon as possible,” according to the airline.

Seven passengers and a flight attendant were evaluated after reporting “minor respiratory irritation,” and all were examined and released at the scene, Humphrey said.

One of those passengers said she wanted to be taken to a hospital, but changed her mind, Humphrey said.

“People in the cabin mentioned an ‘odor,’ but did not see smoke,” Humphrey said.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock