July 30, 2001

DETROIT – A Spirit Airlines jet with 162 passengers on board made an emergency landing in Grand Rapids shortly after taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The plane landed safely Sunday, and no injuries were reported, said airline spokeswoman Lynne Koreman.

Flight 872 left Detroit en route to Los Angeles around 1:30 p.m. when the crew noticed they "had a problem with one of the engines," Koreman said.

"Per procedure, they shut it down," she said. "They declared an emergency. They informed the passengers what was going on and they landed in Grand Rapids."

The passengers waited more than six hours at Kent County International Airport for an aircraft to carry them to Los Angeles, Koreman said. They arrived in Los Angeles at 11:32 p.m. PDT, a Spirit Airlines representative said.

Sunday's incident was the airline's second emergency landing in the state this month.

On July 20, Flight 1572 from Myrtle Beach, S.C., made an emergency landing at Detroit because of an engine problem. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20010730-0026-emergencylan.html

-- Doris (nocents@bellsouth.net), July 31, 2001