A flight bound for Boise, Idaho, returned to Mineta San Jose International Airport shortly after takeoff this morning after there were indications of a possible engine fire, an airline spokeswoman said.
Alaska Airlines flight No. 2404, operated by Horizon Air, took off from San Jose at 11:08 a.m. with 47 passengers on board, Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said.
About 20 minutes into the flight, when the plane had reached an altitude of roughly 20,000 feet, the captain received a notification that there was a possible fire in the right engine, Egan said.
The plane turned around and headed back to San Jose, where it landed safely at 11:29 a.m., Egan said.
The passengers all exited the aircraft normally through the front door, and are being taken to Boise on a plane that flew in from Sacramento to accommodate them, the spokeswoman said.
The aircraft that had the problem was removed from service for inspection, Egan said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said there were six crew members on the plane, a de Havilland DH8, and that no injuries were reported.
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San Jose firefighters met the plane upon its landing as a precaution.
The incident briefly shut down one of the airport's two runways, but airport operations were not affected and no flights were delayed, airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said.
