Allegiant makes emergency landing in S. GA
ALBANY, Ga. (AP) — More than 150 passengers safely exited an Allegiant Air jet that made an emergency landing at a south Georgia airport, authorities said.
Police in Albany said they responded to reports of a possible fire in the cargo department of the plane shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday.
Concerns about the possible fire led the plane -- Allegiant Air flight 863 -- to make an emergency landing at Southwest Georgia Regional airport in Albany.
Passengers learned there was a problem when a harried flight attendant announced the plane was making an emergency landing, Tampa Bay Times reported. The jet then made an "incredibly sudden stop" at Albany's small airport, said one passenger, retired Tampa Bay Times reporter Jeff Testerman.
Passengers were told to leave their belongings on board and slide down chutes that deployed at the front and back of the plane, he said.
All 155 passengers and 6 crewmembers got off the plane safely, WALB-TV reported.
"The pilots had an indication of a possible fire in the cargo hold," Allegiant spokesman Brian Davis said. "In an abundance of caution, they made the decision to land and get everyone off the plane."
It wasn't clear late Sunday whether there actually had been a fire.
The plane had taken off from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was scheduled to land in St. Petersburg, Fla., Davis said. Officials were planning to drive the passengers by bus to St. Petersburg, he said.
Albany is about 180 miles south of Atlanta.