FAA investigates after Karol G’s private plane makes emergency landing in Van Nuys

A private plane carrying Colombian superstar Karol G made an emergency landing Thursday night at the Van Nuys Airport after the pilot reported an issue mid-flight.

“A twin-engine Gulfstream IV landed safely at Van Nuys Airport in California around 9 p.m. local time on Thursday, Feb. 29 after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit,” a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday in a statement to The Times.

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“The flight departed from Hollywood Burbank Airport and was headed to El Salvador International Airport. The FAA is investigating,” the statement said.

The investigation is a standard procedure conducted by the FAA when an aircraft is involved in an emergency landing.

The 33-year-old pop-reggaeton artist exited the plane and hugged friends and associates on the tarmac, according to footage obtained by K-ABC Los Angeles. The station’s news helicopter also captured footage of the “TQG” and “QLONA” singer on the tarmac outside the plane, speaking on the phone.

There were no immediate reports of injuries and the cause of the malfunction was not immediately known.

The aircraft — identified as the singer’s because of its barbed-wire heart logo — took off with 16 people on board. It flew east but by the time it reached the Cajon Pass, it turned around, the news station said. The pilot reported a midair problem and made a smooth landing.

Representatives did not immediately respond Friday to The Times’ requests for comment.

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The singer won her first Grammy Award last month for her album “Mañana Será Bonito.” The five-time Latin Grammy Award winner was also named Billboard magazine’s 2024 Woman of the Year in February and is expected to be honored at the Billboard Women in Music Awards on Wednesday.

The singer, whose 2021 album title “KG0516” mimicked a flight number, is currently on her “Mañana Será Bonito” tour in Latin America. It’s unclear why she was in Los Angeles on Thursday, but she is scheduled to perform in Guatemala on Friday. Her most recent show was in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Feb. 24.