An American Airlines 777-200 descending to land. (Photo by Brian Futterman)
An American Airlines flight from the United States to Japan was diverted to a military airbase in Alaska on Sunday after a fire alarm went off during the flight, officials said on early Monday.
American Airlines flight 175, a Boeing 777-200, departed Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas on Sunday morning and was scheduled to land at Narita International Airport later on Monday until it was diverted over the Bering Sea at approximately 3.52 p.m. local time.
“There was a fire indication light,” said Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, who said the decision was made to land at Eareckson Air Station on the island of Shemya, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. “[It] was the closest airport to land the aircraft,” she added.
The plane, which was carrying 197 passengers and 15 crew members, safely landed at Eareckson a short while later. “There was no fire,” Huguely said.
Huguely said the cargo was offloaded from the aircraft, which took several hours, before the aircraft was readied and embarked on a flight to Anchorage at 9.56 p.m. local time. From there, the passengers will be flown to Japan on another aircraft.
“We’re sending another aircraft and another crew to Anchorage,” Huguely said. “It will depart on the 13th at 8 a.m. local time.”
After the first aircraft landed in Anchorage, the plane will undergo a thorough inspection before it goes back into service.
