An engine problem caused a Delta flight bound for Los Angeles to return to Atlanta shortly after taking off early Tuesday.
Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly Singley said Flight 1323, with 174 passengers aboard, landed safely and emergency vehicles assisted once the Boeing 757 was on the ground. She said another plane was provided and passengers resumed their trip.
She said Delta's maintenance department was still analyzing the engine problem Tuesday afternoon. A passenger said he saw the engine on fire, but Kelly Singley said the nature of the problem was not yet known and she would not describe it as a fire.
Kelly Singley said three passengers were slightly injured while they were going down the plane's evacuation slides, but they had resumed their journey after being treated.
Another Delta flight had an engine problem last week, forcing an emergency landing.
On June 15, Flight 1789 was on its way from Jacksonville, Fla., to Atlanta with 135 passengers on board when an engine "flamed out" while in flight, Jacksonville International Airport spokesman Michael Stewart said. The flight returned safely to the Jacksonville airport, and the passengers got off at the gate. Stewart said a piece of flying debris from the runway may have gotten sucked into the MD88 aircraft during takeoff. Delta couldn't immediately confirm that Tuesday.
Airline spokesman Eric Torbenson said that prior to takeoff, maintenance workers repaired a wheel strut on the landing gear. During takeoff, the flight crew saw landing gear and engine indicator lights come on, so they declared an emergency and returned to Jacksonville as a precaution, Torbenson said. Repairs to the left engine were later made.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the agency is investigating both flights.
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