Flight makes emergency landing at JWA

James Meier

A Southwest Airlines plane made an emergency landing shortly after

taking off Friday morning after its pilot reported seeing smoke,

airport officials said.

Southwest Airlines Flight 786 was about 20 minutes into its trip

to Oakland at about 8:20 a.m. when the pilot reported smoke in the

cockpit, said Ann McCarley, spokeswoman for JWA.

The Boeing 737 then headed back to the airport, landed without

incident and arrived at the gate at about 8:27 a.m., she said.

There, Orange County Fire Authority paramedics treated six

passengers who complained of either respiratory problems or anxiety,

Capt. Stephen Miller said. Five were released while another, a woman

in her 60s, was taken to Anaheim Memorial Hospital, he said.

“Everyone was in mild condition,” Miller said. He was unsure what

was wrong with the woman who was taken to the hospital.

There were 78 passengers and five crew members aboard the plane,

said Ed Stewart, spokesman for Southwest Airlines.

Those passengers who still wished to fly to Oakland were rebooked

on another flight, McCarley said.

The unscheduled landing did not affect other airport operations,

she said. By about 9:18 a.m., the plane was towed from its gate to

another area of the airport, where it was inspected.

Officials determined that a blown seal over the auxiliary power

unit created the smoke, Stewart said.

“It’s sort of like a gasket on your car,” he said. “It’s sort of

meaningless, but since it’s a plane, everybody gets excited. ... It’s

as much a nonevent as a nonevent can be.”

The plane was later cleared for use and returned to duty, Stewart

said.

* JAMES MEIER is the city editor. He can be reached at (949)

764-4324 or at james.meier@latimes.com.