Malfunction forces flight to turn back

A US Airways flight bound from John Wayne Airport to Phoenix was forced to turn back Friday morning after the Boeing 737’s landing gear indicator light went on shortly after takeoff, airport officials said.

When the pilots were alerted to the potential problem, they returned to the airport, where the 737 landed safely at 10:40 a.m., said airport spokeswoman Courtney Wiercioch.

As a precaution, firefighters from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa were among those dispatched to the airport in preparation for a possible emergency landing.

The firefighters were soon called off, when the pilots aboard the US Airways plane determined that the landing gear was working properly, authorities said.

None of the crew or passengers were injured, and all the passengers disembarked the plane. Technicians now are investigating why the warning light in the cockpit went on, Wiercioch said.

— Joseph Serna