United Airlines flight lands safely after in-flight emergency

By Aida Ahmed (contact)

Saturday, July 23, 2011 | 3:49 p.m.

A United Airlines flight en route to Los Angeles from New York made an emergency landing at McCarran International Airport Saturday after the pilot reported an in-flight emergency, a McCarran official said.
McCarran spokeswoman Elaine Sanchez said that United Airlines flight 497, which was coming from John F. Kennedy International Airport, landed without incident in Las Vegas shortly after 1:30 p.m. The pilot noticed a light that indicated a possible mechanical emergency and made the detour to ensure the safety of the 111 passengers.
"An indicator power light came on. Firefighters said something was wrong with the cooling equipment," said Sanchez. "The pilot felt safer to divert."
The plane is expected to leave McCarren at about 5:30 p.m. and land in Los Angeles four hours later than the original arrival time.
McCarren Airport serves more than 43 million passengers a year.