US Airways: 2 planes make safe emergency landings

CHARLOTTE, NC -- A US Airways flight from New York safely made an emergency landing Saturday evening at its destination in Charlotte after oxygen masks deployed in the final minutes amid indications of a pressurization issue, a spokesman said, adding one of its regional flights also made a safe emergency landing in Charlotte soon afterward.

US Airways spokesman Matt Miller told The Associated Press by telephone that none of the 146 passengers and five crew aboard US Airways flight 745 from LaGuardia airport in New York was hurt. He said the crew of the Airbus A320 was already below cruising altitude and "well into" its descent into Charlotte Douglas International Airport when the issue arose before 7 p.m. Saturday.

"The masks were deployed. I don't know how many passengers used them," Miller said, adding a handful of passengers requested medical checks at the gate as a precaution upon arrival.

He added that the flight, which left New York shortly before 5 p.m., taxied to the gate under its own power and was being checked by maintenance crews. He had no immediate information whether an actual problem was detected.

Miller said a US Airways Express flight 5782 bound for Charlotte also made an emergency landing there around 7:45 p.m. Saturday after reporting a hydraulic issue during the flight from Greensboro, North Carolina. He said that Embraer 175 aircraft was carrying 28 passengers and four crewmembers and no one aboard the second plane was hurt.

"A bus met the aircraft on the taxiway and brought the passengers in because the plane had to be towed," Miller said. "It had to be towed because the steering wasn't operating properly." He added that the flight was operated by Republic Airways, one of the regional partners conducting flights on behalf of the airline group.

He said US Airways Express flight had originally been scheduled to arrive in Charlotte about 3:30 p.m. Saturday but it was primarily delayed due to weather. He said it finally left Charlotte around 6:30 p.m. He had no further details on the hydraulic issue involved.