The Dallas Stars were ready to leave St. Louis after suffering a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Blues. Shortly after their plane took off from the St. Louis Downtown Airport (which is actually located in nearby Cahokia, Illinois), the plane returned and made an emergency landing back at the airport due to a report of smoke in the cockpit.
According to the Dallas News, the problem was most likely electrical as there was no actual fire on the plane. The smoke was only detected in the cockpit and was not noticed by any of the Stars players.
Via the Dallas News:
St. Louis Downtown Airport Fire Department Chief Mike Mavrogeorge said the smoke might have been caused by an electrical issue and noted there was no fire, the newspaper reported. Another plane was sent to take the team to California.
The Stars eventually were able to begin their journey to California for their game against the LA Kings on Monday after another plane arrived at the airport.
While it doesn’t sound like the players were in any harm and that the problem was a minor one, these kinds of situations are always kind of nerve-racking. We’re glad the team is safe and that this wasn’t a more serious issue.
