ST. LOUIS, Missouri - July 7, 2008 -
The airplane carrying presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack
Obama made a safe, unscheduled and precautionary landing in St. Louis on Monday
after a flight control problem arose en route from Chicago to Charlotte, North
Carolina.
The plane, an MD-80 Midwest charter, experienced a problem maintaining the proper pitch, or control over keeping the nose at the necessary angle, as it was taking off from Chicago, the pilot said.
Laura Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, said the plane did not declare an emergency, but simply "requested a diversion for mechanical issues they called a flight control problem."