Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Plane lands in Las Vegas after pilot locked out of cockpit

Delta

File

A Delta jet at McCarran International Airport.

Updated Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 | 2:57 p.m.

The pilot was locked out of the cockpit of a Las Vegas-bound Delta Air Lines flight today, forcing a first officer to land the plane, according to a McCarran Airport representative.

Delta flight 1651 from Minneapolis-St. Paul landed safely about 12:25 p.m. after the cockpit door on the Boeing MD-90 jammed, locking the captain out, officials said.

The first officer made an unassisted landing, and none of the 168 people onboard was injured, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said.

It is unclear what caused the door to jam.

Delta maintenance technicians will examine the door, according to a statement from Delta spokeswoman Lindsay McDuff.

"A commercial aircraft can be landed with one pilot at the control and Delta pilots are fully trained to do so if the situation were to occur," the statement said.

The Federal Aviation Administration normally works with the airline in this type of situation to determine the cause of the problem and ensure it is fixed, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

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