美国中西部航空公司一架波音717客机20日晚从美东北部城市波士顿起飞后不久因机械故障紧急迫降，所幸没有造成人员伤亡。

    据当地媒体报道，飞机从波士顿洛根国际机场起飞后不久飞行员即发现右侧起落架有故障。飞机随后返回波士顿，在城市上空盘旋了几个小时把燃油耗尽后才紧急降落。

    美国有线电视新闻网播放的现场画面显示，飞机落地时，右侧的起落架出现了火花。

    中西部航空公司的发言人卡萝尔·什科尔尼奇卡说，这架飞机是从波士顿飞往威斯康星州密尔沃基的，机上载有86名乘客和4名机组人员。

    A Midwest Airlines jetliner with 90 people aboard landed safely at Logan airport in Boston late Tuesday, U.S. media reported.

    The Boeing 717, which took off from Logan International earlier Tuesday evening headed for Milwaukee, was experiencing landing gear problems, The Associated Press reported, quoting a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs the airport.

    The plane landed after circling the airport for several hours to burn off excess fuel.

    TV image showed sparks coming from an area near the right landing gear as the plane landed.

    The pilot noticed a problem with the right landing gear shortly after takeoff, AP reported, quoting Midwest spokeswoman Carol Skornicka.