Crew member smells smoke; flight diverted here

Ran Saturday, July 21, 2007

Crew member smells smoke; flight diverted here
No problem found, but passengers bused to MSP

By Keighla Schmidt
Leader- Telegram staff

The baby book entry for "Daddy and Caitlin's first flight" will have a little extra drama, as Northwest Airlines Flight 687 made an emergency landing Friday afternoon at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport.
Philadelphia native Keith Forman and his 11-month-old daughter, Caitlyn, both air-travel rookies, were aboard the jet along with Forman's wife, Jennifer.
"I'll fly again," Keith Forman said.
The airplane landed after a flight attendant reported smelling smoke. The flight was traveling from Philadelphia to Minneapolis. Eau Claire firefighters who responded didn't find smoke in the plane's cabin, Battalion Chief Rick Merryfield said.
Rather than risk further problems in the air, the flight crew sent about 140 passengers by bus to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Jennifer Forman, who had flown previously, described passengers as calm as they waited to exit the plane while it idled on the tarmac.
But those riding the airplane were happy to be back on the ground after their temporary scare. Dennis Gonsior and his family from Oakdale, Minn., were returning from Philadelphia after a weeklong vacation.
"Better safe than sorry," Gonsior said of the interrupted flight.
Not all passengers took the delay in stride. Peg Bachmann of Philadelphia was trying to get to Fairbanks, Alaska, to go on a cruise with Merritt Rhode, also from Philadelphia. Bachmann expressed frustration at the incident.
"Don't fly Northwest, ever," she said.
The incident caused extra hassle for passengers. Cell phones rang frequently, as passengers called friends and family, asking about luggage and arranging connecting flights.
Franz Harary, a magician from Hollywood, was traveling to Minneapolis to catch a transcontinental flight to Tokyo for the release of the "Transformers" movie in Japan. Harary is in charge of arranging the magic at the release party.
"Fortunately, the machine will go on without me," he said.
The buses left about 2 p.m. to get to Minneapolis after about an hour of waiting.