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Flights Grounded at Philadelphia Airport After Plane Makes Emergency Landing

A flight from Richmond, Virginia, had declared an emergency due to smoke in the cabin and cockpit.
A passenger shot this photo after he was evacuated from an American Airlines plane.
A passenger shot this photo after he was evacuated from an American Airlines plane.Damon Dossett

Flights were temporarily halted at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday morning after a plane had to make an emergency landing, federal aviation officials said.

The Piedmont Air Flight 4801 from Richmond, Virginia, had declared an emergency due to smoke in the cabin and cockpit.

A passenger shot this photo after he was evacuated from an American Airlines plane.
A passenger shot this photo after he was evacuated from an American Airlines plane.Damon Dossett

It landed safely and passengers were evacuated via emergency slide. The airport was closed until they could get the plane off the runway.

In a tweet at 8:30 a.m. ET, the airport said the Federal Aviation Administration had "issued a ground stop" due to the emergency. The FAA lifted the ground stop about a half-hour later. Both of the airport's main runways were operational again at 9:30 a.m, although officials said travelers should expect delays.

The Philadelphia Fire Department told NBC Philadelphia that no one was injured.