Ann Romney and her staffers and a secret service detail were forced to make an emergency landing in Denver on Friday after an electrical flash fire filled the cabin of their aircraft with smoke.
The wife of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the rest of her traveling party were cruising at 40,000 feet aboard a Canadair Challenger 600 regional jet when one of the pilots announced, “We have an electrical issue here and we’re going to declare an emergency. We’ll probably need assistance here. We’ve got smoke in the cabin,” according to press secretary Sarah Haley.
The flight was heading from a fundraiser in Omaha, Nebraska to Santa Monica, California when the pilot diverted the plane to Denver International Airport.
Fire trucks were waiting on runway 35L and immediately surrounded the aircraft. Responding to the emergency were the Denver Fire Department, the Denver Police Department and Airport Operations.
Mrs. Romney and the rest of her party exited the plane via stairs on the taxiway, according to the FAA.
Haley tweeted, “A HUGE thank you to the crew and first responders for keeping us safe today!”
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Photos: Twitter-Andrea Saul, Video Screen Grab