Smoke Delays John Wayne Flight

A United Airlines flight from Chicago was delayed after landing at John Wayne Airport on Thursday evening when smoke was seen coming from one of its engines, a Federal Aviation Administration duty officer said.

United Flight 303 had landed safely about 5:15 p.m., but before passengers could disembark, the plane’s engines momentarily lost power, a United spokesman said. Emergency fire crews were dispatched after the pilot radioed that smoke was coming from one engine on the plane’s left side.

But no fire occurred. The smoke was from fuel vapor escaping, an FAA duty officer said.

Passenger Karen Holly, 28, from Chicago, said that after landing, the pilot notified passengers of the engine problem. She said that although smoke could be seen near the engine, passengers remained calm.

“There was just smoke, and that’s all it was--just smoke,” Holly said.

Holly said the flight had arrived early and the mechanical problem caused a 20-minute delay.

Five crew members and 129 passengers were aboard.

After an inspection by emergency and airlines’ officials, the flight was allowed to continue on to San Francisco.