Smoke diverts jet; baggage halts train

November 08, 2010|Associated Press

MEMPHIS — An AirTran Airways flight carrying 65 people from New Orleans to Milwaukee had to make an emergency landing in Tennessee when smoke and an odor was reported on board.

The Boeing 717 landed safely in Memphis on Saturday night. No one was injured. The airline said in a statement that flight 619 was diverted to Memphis out of an abundance of caution.

AirTran spokeswoman Cynthia Tinsley-Douglas told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday that the passengers were put on another plane, which arrived in Milwaukee just after midnight. The airline said it is looking into what happened.

In Los Angeles, police evacuated an Amtrak train in the San Fernando Valley to search for suspicious baggage.

Police Lieutenant John Romero said the investigation was spurred by a woman who boarded in Simi Valley late Saturday night. He says a person who accompanied the woman but did not board with her said something to a train employee about the woman and her bags.

Romero said the check was precautionary and did not involve a specific threat.