Second Unscheduled Landing at ABI
By: Laura Kellerman
Updated: February 10, 2009
For the second time today, a plane was forced to land at Abilene Regional Airport.Don Green, airport manager, said a Delta flight traveling from Los Angeles to Orlando notified the controllers at ABI that a woman on board needed medical attention and the plane would have to land.
Paramedics on the ground had a hard time communicating with the woman because of a language barrier.
The flight continued on to Orlando before 5 p.m.
At 11:45 this morning, American Airlines flight 2076 headed from El Paso to Dallas made a safe emergency landing at ABI, after experiencing mechanical problems in the air, Green said.
The in-flight emergency was discovered about 20 miles away from Abilene when a warning light flared up signaling a possible generator issue. American Eagle crews at the airport prepared to assist the MD-80 plane as it approached for landing. There were 61 people on board the plane, including three crew members. No injuries were reported.
