Hawaii-bound jetliner turns back, makes emergency landing at LAX
A United Airlines Boeing 757 bound for Hawaii had to turn back and make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport just before noon Saturday after smoke was detected in the cabin.
None of the 143 passengers and crew on board United Flight 1296 were hurt, said airport spokesman Marshall Lowe, but it would have been a tense ride back after the crew announced what was happening. “Oh yeah, you’d get religion,” Lowe said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched trucks and ambulances to await the plane, but no injuries were reported and nobody had to be taken to a hospital, said fire department spokeswoman Katherine Main.
A crew member noticed the smoke in the cabin about an hour into the flight, which originated in Los Angeles, said United spokesman Charles Hobart. No word yet on the source of the smoke, but the plane will undergo a thorough inspection, Hobart said.
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