PORTLAND, Maine — An American Airlines plane flying from Bangor executed an emergency landing in Portland Thursday morning.
According to officials from the Portland International Jetport, 73 customers and 4 crew members were on board American flight AA5654 and nobody was injured.
The Jetport's Assistant Airport Director, Zachary Sundquist, said the CRJ900 aircraft landed without issue and taxied to gate 11, where the passengers deplaned using the main passenger door "like on any other flight," Sundquist said in a text message.
The plane's intended destination was Charlotte, North Carolina. It left Bangor International Airport around 7:25 a.m. and emergency landed in Portland around 8:55 a.m.
An American Airlines spokesperson told NEWS CENTER Maine the plane had a "mechanical issue" and the pilot landed out of an abundance of caution.
Airline mechanics are looking into the cause. According to officials, the plane has been taken out of service for now.
One passenger told NEWS CENTER Maine she could smell something burning but she didn't know what it was. She said she was told the plane had engine trouble.
Sundquist said the Jetport can still operate flights the rest of the day on the jetways while that aircraft remains at gate 11. One of the bridges that passengers used to deplane allows for wheelchairs to access from the ground.
Portland Jetport firefighters, Portland Police, and several other agencies responded to the scene, which is protocol when a larger plane such as a commercial plane makes an emergency landing.
Customers are being rebooked onto other flights in order to reach their final destinations. One passenger said the earliest flight she and her partner could get was 11 p.m. Another passenger headed to the same location said he was able to get a flight out at 4 p.m.