Spirit flight returns to MSP due to fear of fire Sunday night

A Sunday evening flight out of Minneapolis—St. Paul International Airport was diverted after a pilot called for an emergency landing.

The Spirit Airlines aircraft took off at 7:29 p.m. and was scheduled to land in Orlando around 10:32 p.m., but quickly returned to the Twin Cities. According to a spokesperson from the airport, a pilot believed there was a fire. The aircraft officially began to return at 7:37 p.m., track logs show.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:

"Spirit Airlines Flight 135 returned to Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport and landed safely around 7:50 p.m. local time Sunday after the crew reported a possible engine fire shortly after takeoff. The Airbus A320, which had been en route to Orlando, taxied to the terminal. No injuries were reported. The FAA will investigate."

What was planned to be a 1,300-mile flight traveled only 98 miles. The spokesperson from MSP said upon landing, fire crews didn’t find a blaze and no one was hurt.

Erik Hofmeyer, a media spokesperson for Spirit Airlines, is also working to learn more about the situation. He said as of 9 p.m., another aircraft is on the tarmac to help passengers reach Orlando in a timely manner. The original plane will be inspected.