Mechanical Issue Forces International Flight To Land In Tulsa

A mid-air malfunction Friday forced an international flight to be diverted to Tulsa. Since the plane was coming from overseas the 230 passengers can’t get off the plane and are sitting on the tarmac.

The Tulsa airport said a customs official is monitoring the situation to make sure no one gets off.

American Airlines flight 79 was headed from London to Dallas when the crew reported having trouble with their left engine. The Boeing 777 was able to land in Tulsa with no problems and is being taken out of service for maintenance.

We talked to the airport and American Airlines is sending an empty jetliner up from Dallas. Passengers will have to make the switch to the new plane to finish the rest of their flight. We were told it should arrive around 11 p.m.

The headache comes at the end of a very long flight; the plane took off in London more than 12 hours ago.