MID-AIR SCARE

Air Force Plane Crossing Atlantic Makes Sudden Emergency Landing

The flight was diverted to the United Kingdom.

A U.S. Air Force plane declared an emergency mid-flight and diverted while flying from Italy on Monday. The U.S.-bound Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker took off from the Aviano Air Base and reported a 7700—the transponder code for a general emergency—at around 36,000 feet over France. The flight was diverted to RAF Mildenhall airport in Suffolk, England, where it landed at about 11 a.m. local time. Fire crews met the plane as a standard precaution, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the emergency, the purpose of the flight and its exact intended U.S. destination have not been disclosed. The plane is a military aerial refueling tanker and its “broad role” is to support military aircraft by transferring fuel in flight, according to its official fact sheet.