False alarm on American Airlines after pilots thought someone was trying to break into the cockpit

The American Airlines Center's logo shines at night in Dallas, Dec. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)

OMAHA, Neb. — A plane carrying passengers from Omaha, Nebraska, to Los Angeles made an emergency landing minutes into the flight “out of an abundance of caution” after pilots mistakenly thought someone was trying to breach the cockpit.

The SkyWest Flight 6569 had just left Omaha’s Eppley Airfield around 7:45 p.m. Monday when the plane’s pilots declared an emergency and headed back to the airport.

A statement from SkyWest -- a regional carrier operated by American Airlines -- said the plane “returned to Omaha out of abundance of caution after experiencing communication issues with a flight crew mic.”

An American Airlines spokesperson said Monday night that the intercom pilots and flight attendants use to speak to each other had been left on by accident. The flight crew, unable to communicate with the pilots, banged on the cockpit door, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Fearing an attempted breach of the cockpit, the jet returned to the Omaha airport. A local emergency dispatcher contacted by the airport initially called for officers to meet the plane upon its return based on a report of “people trying to get in to the cockpit.” The dispatcher was later heard canceling that request.

“Advised no emergency,” the dispatcher said. “There was a staffing issue.”

The flight later continued to Los Angeles.

The Associated Press