XJT Aircraft Receives Engine Fire Alert, Incurs Unruly Pax Incident
An ExpressJet charter operation was forced to make an emergency landing after indicators showed an engine fire. The aircraft en route to Tampa was carrying the University of Louisville basketball team when it was forced to return to Louisville after about 15 minutes of flight. The 41 passengers were unaware of the problem until the pilot explained after landing. They deplaned without injury.
Spokesperson Kristy Nicholas said maintenance technicians checked the Embraer 145 and found no fire after the aircraft was met by airport fire equipment. The incident occurred just after take off about 4 pm Monday when the plane was at about 5,000 feet. The aircraft was sent from Kansas City to take the team on to its destination at Tampa.
In a separate incident, XJT is not commented on an unruly passenger incident in which a mentally disturbed individual came out of the lavatory covered in feces after spending a long time in the bathroom. Flight Attendants managed to get the passengers back into a seat which they had previously covered with a plastic sheet. Just before landing at Omaha from Houston, the passenger again created an altercation in which he hit a male flight attendant and threatened to hit him again. A passenger seemed to defuse the situation after suggesting the unruly passenger calm down, sit down and buckle up. After landing police boarded and he reportedly told him he had already assaulted two policy officers. He was turned over to a hospital for psychological evaluation.

AE in Two More Incidents
Icy conditions likely caused an American Eagle jet to slide off a Syracuse Hancock Airport runway on January 4 around 10:30 pm. Flight 3906, an EMB 145 with 48 passengers and three crew, landed normally when the pilot experienced difficulty in keeping the aircraft centerline. On the last third of the runway, the airplane started to pull to the right and at that point it slid off the runway. There were no injuries and minor damage to the plane. The FAA confirmed the pilot’s report of slick runways.
In a separate incident American Eagle Flight 3505 bound for Killeen from Dallas, landed safety after a report of smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft was also an EMB 145 and was taken out of service to investigate the source of what the captain declared an emergency reporting “smoky haze” which cleared by the time it landed. The incident occurred at 12:21 pm on xx and the plane landed at 12:35 with no injuries to the 47 passengers. Local fire units responded.

Regional Air Loses Money in Delay
Regional Air lost an estimated $6,000 in revenue when runway lights at Grand Bahama Airport were shut off, disrupting holiday departures, according the Freeport News Reporter. The event was the second time in as many months that runway/taxiway lights failed and the airport authority said that a wire to the taxiway lights was damaged and has since been replaced.

Another Landing Indicator Light Incident
A landing gear indicator light forced an Air Wisconsin US Airways Express aircraft to return to Milwaukee after takeoff for Charlotte on January 2 at about 7 a.m. The incident was the latest squawk for the Bombardier CRJ 200, which has recently experienced several indicator failures. Related Story  Shortly after takeoff from Milwaukee, the crew received a gear disagree warning after the gear was retracted, according to Air Wisconsin Spokesperson Annette Daly. After following trained and approved procedures (which includes landing at the nearest airport), the crew selected gear down and returned to the Milwaukee airport. No emergency was declared and the flight landed safely and returned to the gate under its own power. The flight did cancel to allow adequate time for the maintenance inspection and all 47 passengers were rebooked onto other flights. After maintenance performed a thorough inspection and serviced the aircraft, the flight was put back into service at 6:53 pm that same day.