O'Hare has 3 jetliner incidents

CHICAGO, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had three minor jetliner incidents Christmas Eve, including one aircraft that slid off a taxiway officials said.

The Chicago Tribune reported American Airlines Flight 1544 hit some ice and slid off the taxiway after leaving the gate at 6:42 p.m. None of the 54 passengers or crew of five aboard were hurt, American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.

Alternate flight arrangements were being made for the passengers.

Fagan said the aircraft, which was headed to Washington, was not going very fast and was making a turn onto the runway when the accident occurred. She said only the left main nose tire went off the pavement.

The cause of the incident, which forced the temporary closure of the runway, was being investigated.

In a separate incident, CNN reported officials said that shortly after 6:30 p.m. another American Airlines jetliner that had just taken off with 76 passengers and a crew of five en route to St. Louis was forced to return because of an engine problem.

The aircraft was about 15 miles south of the airport when the pilot radioed in the "engine issue" problem, CNN said.

"We were about maybe a minute or two into the flight, and we heard a loud bang that we thought was landing gear," a passenger told CNN affiliate WLS. "But then the plane kind of tilted a little bit and shuddered a little bit, and then the pilot came on about 10 seconds later and said our right engine had gone out, had blown, and we were going to turn around and make an emergency landing back at O'Hare."

Meanwhile, the Tribune reported a fire department official said United Flight 766 from Orange County, Calif., landed safely after the crew requested that emergency crews stand by because of a suspected mechanical issue. That incident occurred about 9:30 p.m.