Smoke In The Cockpit Forces Florida-Bound Mesa Air Flight To Return To Chicago

Federal Aviation Authorities say reports of smoke in the cockpit of a Mesa Airlines craft headed to Florida, forced the plane’s pilot to turn the plane around on Monday.

According to ABC News, Mesa Air flight 3738 from Chicago, Illinois to Jacksonville, Flordia returned to the O’Hare International Airport shortly after takeoff, after the pilot of the regional jet reported a smoke indicator light came on in the cockpit.

It is unclear if there was actually any smoke, FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said.

United Airlines spokeswoman Mary Ryan says after the incident, the plane landed safely and taxied back to the gate, where all 44 passengers got off the aircraft. The Chicago Tribune reports that United Airlines was operating Mesa Air flight 3738.

The Chicago Department of Aviation confirmed there was a standby alert Monday morning for the flight and that the plane arrived safely back at O’Hare International, at approximated 6:46 am EST.

Additional details would be released later, the Chicago Department of Aviation added.