United flight makes emergency landing at military base

DOVER AFB — A United flight from Newark made an emergency landing in Delaware on Monday night.

The Boeing 737 bound for Palm Beach left Newark at 6:16 p.m. and landed an hour later at Dover Air Force Base, after the crew declared an emergency because of a mechanical issue, according to a statement from the FAA.

United told WBOC TV there were 87 passengers and six crew members on board.

"Our maintenance team is inspecting the aircraft and we are working to get our customers to Palm Beach as soon as possible," read a statement from the airline, which did not disclose the nature of the mechanical issue.

ABC News reporter Jeffrey Cook wrote on his Twitter account that pilots told air traffic controllers there was a problem with the plane's elevator.

Another passenger, Zlata Faerman, told 6 ABC Action News that the USO helped passengers with the wait at the base, while United provided pizza and snacks. She said that they finally left Dover just after midnight.

United has not yet returned messages from New Jersey 101.5.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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