Pilot turns Delta jet around after landing gear problems

March 19, 2000
Web posted at: 12:46 p.m. EST (1746 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Delta Air Lines Boeing 727 bound for Orlando, Florida, was forced to return to New York's LaGuardia Airport and be evacuated on Sunday morning. The plane was turned around after the pilot discovered problems retracting the landing gear.

Four of the 139 passengers aboard suffered minor injuries during the evacuation, according to Harmony Sockman, a spokeswoman for Delta. The injured passengers did not wish to be treated, she said.

Sockman said the pilot noticed problems with the plane's retraction wheels minutes after Flight 1971 took off.

The airport was closed for 25 minutes to allow the emergency landing and evacuation of the passengers, said a Port Authority spokesman, Allen Morrison.

Cockpit crew in the plane said they smelled an odor that may have been caused by smoke. Passengers used emergency chutes to evacuate the plane.

CNN's Kurt Mack contributed to this story.

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