United Airlines plane makes an emergency landing after a warning about a possible door issue

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A United Airlines jet cut short a flight Wednesday and landed in Tampa, Florida, after pilots were alerted about a possible issue with a door, according to an airport spokesperson.

The plane took off later “after the issue was addressed,” the airline said Thursday.

The plane involved was an Airbus A319. Last week, a plug that takes the place of a door on some Boeing Max 9 jetliners blew off an Alaska Airlines plane shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon.

An spokesperson for the Tampa airport said the initial report to emergency dispatchers was that the plane diverted because a door indicator light turned on. Fire crews met the plane.

A United spokesperson said the flight, from Sarasota, Florida, to Chicago, diverted to Tampa “as a precaution ... to address a possible mechanical issue. The flight landed safely and later re-departed after the issue was addressed.”

The plane carried 123 passengers and five crew members and was airborne for less than an hour, according to data from tracking service FlightAware.

The diversion was reported earlier by WFLA-TV.