Smoke in Korean Air cockpit disrupts flight

June 9 (UPI) -- Smoke in the cockpit of a South Korean commercial airliner that landed in Fukuoka, Japan, brought firefighters to the site and delayed the plane's arrival.

South Korea's transportation ministry told Yonhap the incident took place Friday morning, and the cause of the fire was an electric short circuit.

"Five minutes prior to landing the circuit board for the cockpit's monitor short-circuited, and smoke, odor were detected," the ministry said. "We are still investigating the cause."

Korean Air's office said the smoke began to fill the cockpit at around 10:15 on flight KE783, which regularly travels from Busan, South Korea, to Fukuoka.

The captain of the Boeing 737-900 airline followed emergency instructions and promptly reported the smoke to Fukuoka Airport's control tower.

A local fire brigade was dispatched to the scene, but the truck never deployed its water hoses.

The plane landed at the airport at 10:22 a.m., and by the time all passengers had disembarked the smoke had dissipated, according to Korean Air.

The flight included 151 passengers and eight crewmembers.

Korean Air is co-investigating the cause of the smoke with Japan's transportation agency.

The flight had left Busan at 9:15 a.m. without trouble, and was scheduled to land in Fukuoka at 10:05 a.m.

The incident delayed arrival by more than 15 minutes, and postponed a subsequent return flight by more than 4 hours.

Korean Air provided alternative transportation, and dispatched a second Boeing 737 from Busan to pick up passengers at Fukuoka Airport.

Korean Air said it provided return-flight passengers at the airport with meal and drink vouchers for the inconvenience.