Plane returns safely to Cincinnati airport

HEBRON, Ky., June 22 (UPI) -- A passenger plane with a faulty landing gear returned safely to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, flight officials said Monday.

Expressjet Flight 2424, en route to Newark, N.J., returned shortly after takeoff Sunday when the pilot noticed the landing gear had not fully retracted into the belly of the plane, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

"They turned around and landed without incident and taxied to the gate. The passengers were taken off the plane and put on another aircraft," airport spokeswoman Barb Schempf told the Enquirer.

The replacement craft arrived in Newark 2 1/2 hours behind schedule, Aviation Herald said Monday.

Expressjet is a regional carrier for Continental Airlines.