U.S. Alaska Airlines flight diverts twice for mechanical problem

SAN FRANCISCO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- An Alaska Airlines commercial flight from U.S. Los Angeles to Seattle was diverted Thursday afternoon in Northern California and landed at Sacramento International Airport following mechanical issues, authorities and airline officials said.

The flight AS1219 then took off from Sacramento for Seattle, but the issue resurfaced and the plane flew back to Sacramento once again, the Anchorage Daily News said in a report on Friday.

The Boeing 737-990 plane was scheduled to travel from Los Angeles International Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It has been in service with Alaska since 2003.

"The crew experienced a mechanical indicator and followed standard procedures to divert to SMF (Sacramento International Airport)," Alaska Airlines said in a statement. "Maintenance met the flight on the ground (and) fixed the issue."

The flight after its first diversion landed in Sacramento shortly before 2:15 p.m., according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.

Flightradar24 logs showed the plane landing a second time at Sacramento International Airport shortly before 5:30 p.m.

Firefighters were dispatched to the field just after 2 p.m., and most crews were released at 2:20 p.m., according to radio dispatch calls.

No injuries were reported in either diversion.