The Region - News from Jan. 21, 1987

An America West Airlines jetliner carrying 114 people apparently sucked tumbleweeds into an engine on takeoff and made a safe emergency landing with one engine at Palm Springs Municipal Airport, officials said. The twin-engine Boeing 737 had just taken off from Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County on a flight to Phoenix when the pilot reported that the left engine was overheating. America West spokeswoman Daphne Dicino said the pilot shut down the engine after a warning light blinked on and headed for the Riverside County desert resort city. “Those aircraft can land and fly quite comfortably with one engine,” Dicino said, adding that technicians would “take a look at the engine and see what went wrong.” Fire officials said the trouble on Flight 323 apparently was caused by tumbleweeds sucked into the engine on takeoff.