Smoke aboard plane prompts Charlottesville landing

A United Airlines regional flight from Chicago to Richmond landed at the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Airport yesterday after reports of smoke in the cabin.

United Express Flight 8066 was due to arrive at Richmond International Airport at about 2:30 p.m. but landed in Charlottesville around 2:10 p.m.

The plane landed "routinely and safely," and none of the 26 passengers or four crew members on board was injured, United Airlines spokesman Jeff Kovick said.

Reports of smoke in the cabin came shortly before the plane landed, Kovick said, though he could not say whether the passengers or crew first noticed the problem. "Our captain made the right decision to take the precautionary measure of landing in Charlottesville," he said.

Passengers were transported from Charlottesville to Richmond by bus.

Kovick said an investigation was being conducted last night by United Airlines and Trans States Airlines, which operates the regional flight for United.

The incident was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating, but no further information was available last night, a spokeswoman for the agency said.

Contact John Reid Blackwell at (804) 775-8123 or .