A plane carrying University of Pittsburgh cheerleaders was forced to make an emergency landing Friday in North Carolina.
The connecting flight from Charlotte was heading to Greensboro when there was a strong smell of smoke.
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Ken Strauss, who was also a passenger on the flight, said he thought the smell was burnt coffee until the pilot said the plane needed to make the emergency landing.
The pilot returned the plane to Charlotte, where firetrucks were waiting on the tarmac, Strauss told Channel 11's Aaron Martin.
Traveling to Greensboro on a connecting flight from Charlotte, and the plane catches on fire right as we get airborne. The pilot turned around and came back to Charlotte. The Pitt Cheerleaders are on the same flight. Everyone is safe. #H2P pic.twitter.com/eDCQeVazJC
— Ken Strauss (@kpittboy) November 16, 2018
An employee in Pitt’s athletic department confirmed all the cheerleaders are OK.
The Pitt Panthers football team has a game Saturday against Wake Forest in North Carolina.
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