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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, March 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 27, 2004 A Horizon Air jet made an emergency landing in Medford Thursday afternoon after the pilot reported a �rough-running engine.� The plane was headed from Portland to Ontario, Calif., and landed without incident. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Emergency landing Horizon airliner safely lands at Medford after pilot reports rough engine By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A commercial jetliner bound for California made a successful emergency landing Thursday at the Medford airport after the pilot reported engine trouble. None of the 60 passengers and crew members aboard the Horizon flight were injured when the plane touched down at 1:30 p.m. amid a sea of fire trucks prepared for a potential disaster. The flight left Portland bound for Ontario, Calif., when the pilot reported a "rough-running engine" shortly before 1 p.m. and asked for an emergency landing in Medford, airport Director Bern Case said. "Sometimes the pilot thinks, ‘Oh, we can make it,’ " Case said. "The guy is my kind of pilot — don’t take any chances and just get it down." The passengers were whisked into Horizon’s building at the airport, where they waited for a replacement plane that Horizon sent from Portland, said Kim Stearns, the airport’s public information officer. Advertisement The replacement plane was loaded and off after about a two-hour wait. The passengers did not enter the terminal, Case said, so they would not all have to be re-screened by security. The 2-year-old Bombardier aircraft with twin GE jet engines was about 40 miles east of Medford when the pilot requested the emergency landing. Airport officials then enacted a emergency plan that sent fire crews from across the Rogue Valley scurrying to the airport runway. Other air traffic was delayed while the jet made a slow and uneventful descent to the runway from the north. It touched down and taxied just south of the terminal, with several fire engines racing behind while other airline passengers in the terminal watched with wonder. "I thought, oh my God, is this a real emergency?" said Barbara Smith, who was waiting to pick up a family member on a delayed America West flight. "I was afraid there was something wrong with the America West plane." After a short wait, the passengers were escorted from the plane and their luggage was removed. "Fortunately we didn’t have to put out any fires or rescue anybody," Case said. A Federal Aviation Administration official would have to re-certify the craft before it could fly again, Case said. The airport averages about 20 emergency landings a year, with the vast majority being smaller private planes, Case said. He called an emergency landing of a commercial craft very rare. No one appeared agitated over the landing as they filed past news media to Horizon’s offices. "This was a minor inconvenience for what could have been an emergency," Case said. Once every two years, emergency crews conduct full-scale exercises similar to Thursday’s response, and law-enforcement officials said police and firefighters responded as planned. "You’re always happy when it works out well," said Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters, whose agency oversees security at the county-owned airport. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times