Plane makes emergency landing at South Bend Airport

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A Delta plane made an emergency landing at the South Bend International Airport Friday afternoon around 6:15 p.m.

The landing was made because of a halon leak or explosion. Halon is commonly used in fire extinguishers.

The passenger plane was a flight from South Bend to Atlanta.

A passenger on the flight told ABC 57 that he heard a bang and then the plane dropped. The pilot told passengers that they had a problem and would circle around to let fuel out of the plane.

Delta has a policy that in a mid-air emergency they have to go back to the origin of the flight.

The passenger was reimbursed for his ticket and will be able to fly out by Saturday.

According to SkyWest Airlines stated:

"SkyWest flight 4647, operating as Delta Connection from South Bend to Atlanta, returned to South Bend shortly after takeoff due to a mechanical indication. The flight landed safely without incident. All passengers deplaned normally at the gate and were accommodated on another aircraft to Atlanta. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority."