Northwest flight makes emergency landing in Michigan

7/27/2006, 12:30 a.m. ET

The Associated Press

FREELAND, Mich. (AP) — Smoke began filling a Toronto-bound Northwest Airlines Corp. plane with 82 passengers and five crew members aboard, forcing it to make an emergency landing in central Michigan, an airline spokesman says.

Flight 884 made a safe landing at MBS International Airport about 9:20 p.m. EDT, 80 minutes after it left Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, said Northwest spokesman David Rivard. He said a crew made repairs and the plane left for Toronto International Airport about 11:20 p.m.

The smoke entered the cabin because of a minor problem with a fan, Rivard told WSGW-AM in Saginaw.

MBS International Airport in Freeland serves the Midland-Bay City-Saginaw area.

Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest is Michigan's leading passenger air carrier, with a hub at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.