Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- An American Airlines flight headed for the Columbia Metropolitan Airport was forced to make an emergency landing Saturday morning.
According to flight tracker website FlightAware.com, the aircraft was traveling from Dallas, Texas and made an emergency landing in Meridian, Mississippi around 10:40 a.m. Eastern Time.
An American Airlines spokesperson said the plane, which is operated by ExpressJet, was forced to divert to Meridan because of a crack in the windshield. Tom Willliams, President of the Meridian Airport Authority, also confirmed that as the reason for the sudden change in course.
Williams said the problem is not unheard of, but rarely happens.
Williams also said that it is protocol to make a precautionary emergency landing at the nearest airport when a problem similar to this arises. Williams told News19 that the passengers were escorted off the plane and were made comfortable until backup plane arrived.
The airline also confirmed that another aircraft came to take the passengers to Columbia.
