United jet makes emergency landing in Arkansas after cockpit fire, no one injured
By
Posted 3:34PM on Tuesday, March 5, 2002
TEXARKANA, Ark. - A cockpit fire forced a United Airlines 757 to make an emergency landing at Texarkana Regional Airport on Tuesday. None of the 106 people on board was injured. <br>
<br>
There was no word on the cause of the fire, although Federal Aviation Administration Roland Herwig said there was a possibility it was caused by a window heater. "It will probably be a routine maintenance problem," he said. <br>
<br>
Ninety-nine passengers and a crew of seven were aboard the Orlando, Fla.-to-San Francisco flight, airline spokesman Joe Hopkins said. <br>
<br>
"There was no type of commotion, the passengers are just calm," said Carri Jones, the airport's finance administrator. "The landing went very smoothly." <br>
<br>
The pilots aboard Flight 275 reported smoke and a small fire in the cockpit, Hopkins said. He said the fire was extinguished before the plane landed. <br>
<br>
Airline officials said another plane would be brought in from Denver to carry the passengers on the remainder of their trip. <br>
<br>
The airport is on the Arkansas-Texas line southwest of Little Rock. <br>