Plane makes emergency landing at Calif. airport

updated 7:03 a.m. ET Aug. 8, 2008

ORANGE, Calif. - A Continental Airlines jet made an emergency landing at John Wayne Airport shortly after its departure when a pilot smelled smoke, authorities said.

The plane, carrying 113 passengers and five crew members, landed safely Thursday afternoon and evacuated without incident, airport spokeswoman Rachel Gibson said.

The flight left for Newark, N.J., at 4:18 p.m. and returned to the airport 20 minutes later.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said there was "no report of an actual fire on board," and fire crews found no flames or smoke on the plane.

Gregor said the agency could work with the airline to determine the cause of the smell. Past incidents were caused by burnt coffee or blown engine seals, he said.

On Tuesday, passengers evacuated with inflatable chutes when someone smelled smoke in the cabin of a Honolulu-bound plane that made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport.

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