ExRAFboy

STUART — A Delta flight carrying 76 passengers and four crew members made an unscheduled landing Tuesday afternoon at the Witham Field airport after inclement weather caused it to circle several Florida airports and thus use too much fuel.

The Bombardier CRJ900 plane landed safely at the airport, and the passengers will be bused to Miami International Airport, their original destination, said Jeff Pugh, spokesman for Comair, a subsidiary of Delta.

The flight, No. 5481, left New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport about 8:30 a.m., Pugh said.

Although the small Stuart airport does not provide commercial flight service, the pilots chose to land the plane here due to an air traffic control problem in West Palm Beach, the normal alternate landing location, Pugh said.

After West Palm Beach, the pilot planned to land at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport, but he decided on Stuart after becoming worried the fuel supply was too low, said Mike Moon, Witham Field director.

Pugh said the pilot followed procedure.

“Taking into consideration the safety of our passengers and crew, the best plan was to land (in Stuart) and bus the passengers to Miami,” he said.

Passengers crowded the small Stuart Jet Center lobby before their buses arrived and munched on free food and drinks the airport provided. Many said they were told the plane couldn’t take off again because it was too heavy for the airport and the runway was too short. However, airport officials later said Witham Field does not have commercial airline capabilities and is not authorized to direct a commercial plane with passengers for take-off.

The crew will fly the empty plane to Miami International Airport, Pugh said.