Southwest flight makes unscheduled landing at Orlando International Airport

A Southwest jet made an emergency landing at Orlando International Airport on Thursday afternoon.

While this was all happening, it was business as usual in the terminal, but high in the sky, a plane packed with anxious passengers was trying to make a safe landing. After landing, the Southwest jet stood on the tarmac at the airport, with yellow fire engines standing by.

Flight 736 from Fort Lauderdale to Denver had been diverted to Orlando. In a statement, Southwest says the crew suspected a blown nose gear tire upon departure. Out of an abundance of caution, the pilots diverted to Orlando international airport where the flight landed safely.

Judy Hall was in the terminal when this was going on. She recalled that she was once on a flight where the landing gear wasn't working.

“They had sprayed all the foam and the fire trucks were there. It was an okay landing but it was a little scary!” she said.

Southwest says Flight 736's passengers were quickly moved to a different plane in Orlando and they continued their trip to Denver. Carl Talpai, who was in the terminal, says Southwest is usually reliable.

“They maintain their planes very well, so I'm surprised. That could happen anyplace, I believe,” he said.

There were no reported injuries. The airport says fire trucks were there as a precaution, and no airline operations affected.